Harry Potter and Gryffindor's Inheritance
by Injustice Redhead
Summary: AU. Post OOTP. Harry returns to Hogwarts with a new power he inherited from his ancestors, and plans to use it to fight Voldemort and his Death Eaters. Meanwhile, friendships and both formed and destroyed, and love blossoms in the life of The-Boy-Who-Lived. Rated T for violence and suggestive themes.
1. Chapter 1- Sensitive Moments

_A/N- Another Harry Potter story! This one'll be a fairly long story. Not sure how long but I'm leaning towards 20-30 chapters. Set in Harry's sixth year. Unfortunately because there are so many sixth year AU fics there might be some cliches and whatnot but I've an idea that I've never seen in any other stories. And yes, this is a Harry/Ginny fanfic. Anyways, enjoy an R &R!_

 _Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters, that all goes to the lovely JK Rowling. I only have the pleasure of writing this story featuring her beloved creations._

 **Chapter 1: Sensitive Moments**

Harry Potter could not believe what was happening. No sooner had he gotten in the Dursleys' car when his aunt and uncle started insulting him, despite the warning they had received from Mad-Eye Moody. Harry silently fumed in the back seat, is ugly whale of a cousin Dudley smirking evilly at him. Harry bottled up his anger as best he could, refusing to stoop down to the level of his relatives. He barely noticed the time go by before he heard the familiar sound of the car pulling into the driveway of Number Four, Privet Drive. Harry barged out of the car as soon as it stopped, slamming the door behind him. He angrily opened the boot of the car, yanking out his trunk and slamming the door. He stalked into the house and up the stairs into his tiny bedroom and shut the door behind him.

Once he was alone he burst into tears. Sinking to his knees, he continued sobbing till the sun went down. Why did everything awful happen to him? Every godforsaken bad thing had happened to him. His parents' death, judgement and abandonment by the ones who claimed to love and care about him, and most recently, the death of his godfather, Sirius. And the worst part of all, it was all his fault. His fault that his parents had died almost fifteen years ago, his fault that nobody wanted to help him because of his freaky nature, and his fault that Sirius was killed in the first place. These thoughts continued to plague Harry as he settled down to sleep.

 _Harry's eyes were fixed on the stone arch, the veil billowing faintly in the nonexistent wind. Spells flew all around him, but he largely ignored them, instead focussing on the duel going on below the arch. Sirius was battling his cousin, trading spells back and forth._

" _Come on, you can do better than that!" taunted Sirius, but he was struck by a spell, sending him tumbling into the veil with a look of shock on his face. Harry screamed and ran towards the veil, but was held back by Remus Lupin._

 _However, the sequence of events changed when Harry broke free from Remus' grip and charged straight into the veil. Blackness overtook his senses, rendering him blind. He stumbled through the darkness, hoping to find his lost godfather. Harry tripped over something, falling to the ground. He turned around and saw the blank eyes of Cedric Diggory, staring at him emotionlessly._

" _You killed me Harry. Why did you make me grab the cup?" Cedric's haunting voice echoed through his rotting mouth._

" _No, Cedric. I didn't know it was a portkey. you have to believe me!" pleaded Harry, terror clutching at his heart like a mangled hand. Harry tried to turn and run away from the corpse of Cedric but ran into another figure._

" _Sirius?" whispered Harry. His godfather looked a thousand times worse than when he first saw him. No ounce of muscle or fat resided on his body, his skin clinging to his bones. Dark circles under his pale eyes were easily visible against Sirius' pale white skin, his eyes boring into Harry's soul._

" _Stupid boy. Why the hell did you fall for Voldemort's trick? If you kept practicing Occlumency I'd still be alive!" rasped Sirius, his voice croaky._

" _Sirius please, I never wanted you to die, I thought you were being tortured by Voldemort!" screamed Harry. Sirius barked out a laugh, though it held none of the humour or happiness that Harry was used to hearing. Instead, it sounded like the rattling of a Dementor's breath, seeming to suck he warmth from the air. Harry tried to escape the deathly form of his godfather, but was stopped by his ghostly white parents._

" _Harry, we died trying to save you. And this is how you repay us? By getting others killed?" hissed his father. His mother, Lily, appeared to be crying, a look of utter disgust embedded into her features._

" _Why haven't you killed Voldemort already? Are you too scared?" demanded Harry's mum._

" _No, please. I never meant for any of you to die," whimpered Harry. Other people emerged from the darkness, looking like foul ghouls in the shadows. Harry recognised none of these newcomers, though Harry assumed they had all been killed by Voldemort and his Death Eaters. They all screamed and taunted Harry, blaming him solely for their deaths. Harry curled into a ball on the floor, wishing away the torment and sobbing._

" _No... no..."_

"NO!" shrieked Harry, sitting up from his bed, panting heavily. His shirt and bed sheets were soaked with his sweat, which continued to drip from his skin. It took several minutes for Harry to settle down before laying back down on the bed, grumbling, "bloody nightmares."

oOoOoOo

Two weeks into the holidays, Harry's life began to work almost like clockwork: Wake up, make breakfast for his relatives, do the almost impossible chores his aunt had set for him, have a small dinner, go to bed. Every few days he was required to write a brief letter to the Order of the Phoenix, explaining that he was fine. He replied as best he could to the letters he received from his friends, but didn't have the heart or patience to go into too much detail about anything. Mostly he told them that he was fine and dealing with everything as best he could.

Physically, he appeared to be fine. All the yard work his aunt had given him had helped develop some muscle to his thin frame, making him appear more lean. His shoulders had broadened and he had shot up a few inches, barely scraping the tall side. He was still not anywhere near as tall as his best friend, Ron Weasley, though his growth spurt was certainly noticeable. It helped that his aunt had been giving him more food to eat, almost twice as much as what he was used to when staying in Privet Drive. He had allowed his hair to grow out as well, the ends almost reaching his shoulders. Despite its length, Harry's hair somehow still appeared untidy, no matter how much he tried to tame it. Harry had noticed the looks the female population were giving him whenever he had the time to go to the park, though his opinion on the matter was very different to the reason why so many girls openly stared at him.

Inside, however, Harry felt broken. The loss of Sirius had affected him more than anything else had in his life, and he spent most of his nights crying or tossing in his bed in anger. It didn't help that he continued to have that same nightmare every night, taxing his mind and body heavily. His rage continued to build up inside him due to the constant bullying of his relatives, and it was only a matter of time before he exploded.

"ARGH!" screamed Harry before he kicked his trunk into the wall. That day had been his breaking point after coming home from Dudley and his gang heckling him when he went to the park, followed by his aunt Petunia screeching at him for tripping and dropping several dishes after dinner. He grabbed his desk and flipped it, sending books and pieces of parchment flying everywhere. Breathing heavily, he heard the heavy footsteps of Uncle Vernon coming up the stairs, but Harry didn't care. Uncle Vernon burst through the door, his face purple and looking as if he'd run a marathon.

"WHAT IS GOING ON HERE BOY!" bellowed his gigantic uncle. "I'VE JUST ABOUT HAD IT WITH YOU! YOU WILL CLEAN THIS ROOM UP AND STAY IN HERE FOR THE REST OF THE SUMMER AND HAVE NO-"

"SHUT UP!" interrupted Harry. Vernon froze, his face beginning to turn into one of terror. "JUST SHUT UP FOR A MINUTE AND LISTEN. I HAVE HAD THE WORST YEAR OF MY LIFE, WHICH IS SAYING A LOT SEEING AS I'VE BEEN STUCK WITH YOU LOT FOR THE FIRST TEN YEARS OF IT. I DON'T CARE ABOUT THIS BLOODY MESS I'VE MADE AND IF YOU TRY TO LAY A FINGER ON ME I SWEAR I WILL KILL YOU!"

To Vernon, Harry seemed to grow twice his height. His eyes glowed like emerald fire in the dim light of the bedroom, making Harry seem a hundred times scarier than his uncle had ever seen him. Power literally rolled off his shoulders, accompanied by several objects on the room shaking violently. Hedwig, Harry's owl, hooting nervously asher cage began to rattle. Unconsciously, Vernon took a step back, cowering in fear of the young man standing before could only splutter and nod before taking off as fast as his fat body could, closing the door behind him.

Harry exhaled deeply before collapsing to the floor again, his bit of accidental magic draining him. He carefully picked up his turned over desk, setting it back to where it was originally. He replaced his books and parchment on the desk, then lay back down on his bed, falling asleep as soon as his head touched the pillow.

oOoOoOo

Harry felt something nip at his ear as he slept. The first time, he ignored it. The second time, he tried to bat the annoyance away with his hand, grunting angrily. The third time, Harry finally woke up. Sitting up, his green eyes met glowing amber eyes, and Harry huffed. "Hedwig, what the hell are you doing waking me up?" he demanded. Hedwig hooted indignantly and stuck her leg out to reveal a letter tied to it. Untying it, Harry saw the familiar of Remus Lupin, the last true Marauder. Opening the letter he began to read.

 _Harry,_

 _I know how much you must be hurting. Believe me, I'm feeling the same way. I just want you to know that it's not your fault. It may have been a trap for you, but you did what you felt was right at the time. That's what makes you so special Harry. You're willing to help and protect others at the risk of your own life. James was the exact same._

 _I have sent this letter in asking something of you. Perhaps we can meet up sometime and help each other get over the grieving process together? Please reply if you want to get together. Maybe we can rendezvous at the park near your house?_

 _Best regards,_

 _Remus Lupin._

Harry mentally slapped himself. Here he was, wallowing in self-pity when others, especially Sirius' best friend, were grieving as well. Harry could have kicked himself for his stupidity. He quickly stood up, grabbed his quill, ink bottle and a piece of parchment and wrote his letter.

 _Professor Lupin,_

 _Thanks for the letter. It's great to know that I can count on someone to be here for me. I must apologise, however. I was too busy feeling sorry for myself that I completely forgot about how you would be feeling, and for that I'm so sorry._

 _Yes, I would love to meet up with you. When would you like to meet? I'm pretty much free tomorrow if that suits you (although between you and me, I'm free every day really)._

 _Hope to see you soon._

 _Harry._

Folding up his letter, Harry tied it to Hedwig's leg before perching her on his shoulder and walking over to the bedroom window. Hedwig nipped his ear affectionately before she took off into the night. Sighing, Harry lay back down on his bed, resting his arms behind his head. Now fully awake, Harry started to think.

Since Sirius' death, Harry had blamed himself for his idiocy in falling for Voldemort's mind games. But if Remus didn't blame him, should he really be blaming himself? The real people to blame were Voldemort and Bellatrix Lestrange, Sirius' cousin. She was the one who cast the spell that sent Harry tumbling into that veil, not Harry. But then again, Sirius wouldn't have ever been in that position if Harry and his friends weren't there. But that blame could be placed on Voldemort, who had tricked them into going there in the first place.

With these comforting thoughts, Harry drifted off to sleep.

oOoOoOo

Harry was moving some boulders around his aunt's garden when he noticed the familiar white speck in the sky heading towards him. Smiling, Harry quickly finished his job and darted to his bedroom. He had barely opened the door when Hedwig flew into his room, landing atop of Harry's desk. Harry grabbed the letter from Hedwig's leg and quickly read the reply from Remus, saying that he'd meet Harry at the park in three hours. Harry quickly glanced at the clock hanging from the wall opposite his bed, noting the time. Satisfied and happy that someone had taken the time to see him personally, Harry went back down to the garden before Aunt Petunia could notice him 'slacking off'.

oOoOoOo

Harry hurriedly made his way to the park several blocks away from Privet Drive. He hadn't been so excited to see someone since... Harry didn't want to think about that right now, so he put his mind on the task ahead of him. After walking for five minutes Harry heard something, which gave him reason to pause. It sounded like somebody was following him. Making a quick glance behind his shoulder, Harry saw nobody behind him. At least, nobody visible. He wasn't sure if he was imagining things, so he pressed on but again heard the sounds of someone following him closely. He also detected the sound of an invisibility cloak swishing ever so slightly. This confused Harry. Invisibility cloaks were supposed to be almost completely inaudible and yet, he could hear it.

Focussing his hearing, Harry could detect the steady beating of someone's heart and breathing directly behind him. Not only could he hear it, but it sounded loud, like the thrumming of someone playing the drums in a closed off room. He could also hear other sounds coming from the area around him. The movement of various birds in the trees across the road, music playing inside someone's house even further down the road, even the rustling of leaves and dirt behind the bushes next to Harry as a snake stalked a small rodent. _What the hell?_ thought Harry.

He checked to see if his mysterious stalker was behind him, and Harry deduced that it was probably a member of the Order of the Phoenix watching over him. He set off again towards the park, keeping his sense of hearing attuned to his surroundings. His newfound ability astounded him. He could hear _everything._ Unfortunately that meant Harry had a splitting headache by the time he had reached the park.

It looked the same as it did every summer. The grass had turned into a green-yellow colour from lack of rain, blowing gently in the warm summer breeze. The few trees surrounding the park appeared lush and green, providing a stark contrast against the bright blue sky. Dudley clearly hadn't been here recently, as the park appeared largly undamaged. Children played on playground, screaming in delight while their parents watched happily. Seeing this sent a pang of envy through Harry's heart. Not for the first time, he wished his parents and Sirius were alive, to love and guide him through his life. Maybe one day, if he managed to defeat Voldemort, Harry could settle down and start a family of his own. He pictured himself sitting on a chair situated on the front porch of a small home, watching his little children playing outside while his lovely redheaded wife-

 _What the? Red hair? Where the hell did that come from?_ Harry groaned in frustration. He was already planning his future when there was a very likely chance he wouldn't make it to his seventeenth birthday.

Harry sat down on a park bench, massaging his temples. His mysterious guardian had moved away from Harry, no doubt checking the park perimeter for danger before giving the all clear for Professor Lupin. It must have been clear, for Harry heard a muted _crack_ of someone Apparating a short distance away (although for Harry, it sounded like a bomb going off).

The sound of footsteps alerted Harry to someone approaching. Harry looked up and saw the familiar face of his former Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher standing a short distance away, shuffling awkwardly. Harry smiled nervously at Professor Lupin and took his figure in. He was wearing a torn jacket and jeans His hair looked whiter than ever, no doubt from the combined stress of the recent full moon and Sirius' death.

"How are you Harry?" said Lupin as he approached Harry. Harry smiled in return.

"Not too bad, all things considered," replied Harry, shaking his former professor's hand. Lupin smiled.

"That's good. Mind if I sit?" Lupin asked, gesturing to the park bench Harry was sitting on. Harry nodded and the older man sat next to him. There was an awkward silence before Harry decided to break it.

"So how are you holding up?" he asked.

"To be honest, not well. Though I am happy that you seem to be doing well," replied Lupin. Harry's face fell at that.

"I'm not doing as well as I look," whispered Harry. At Lupin's inquiring look, he continued. "Physically, I'm doing alright. I'm working hard and eating pretty well, thanks to Moody's warning to my relatives. But I haven't been sleeping well and I've been having nightmares."

"What kind of nightmares?"

"I keep reliving Sirius' falling through the veil, but it doesn't end there. I follow him through but I'm attacked by Sirius, my parents, Cedric and other people I've never even met before and they all blame me for dying. I usually wake up after that screaming." Harry had put his head into his hands, fighting away the tears that threatened to spill. "Do you think they blame me?"

Lupin pulled Harry into a one-armed hug to console him. "No Harry, I don't believe for a second that they blame you for dying. Your parents knew that there was a high possibility of them dying, and they did so that you could live. Sirius went out fighting, just the way he wanted to. And you had no idea that that cup was a portkey, but you did the right thing in bringing Cedric's body back to his family," he said in a reassuring tone. Harry sniffed and wiped his face with his shirt sleeve, smiling sadly at the last Marauder.

"Thanks, Professor," said Harry meekly.

"Harry, I haven't been your teacher for over two years now. Remus will do just fine," laughed Lupin. Harry frowned at that. He wasn't entirely comfortable with calling his former teacher by his first name, regardless of the relationship lupin had with his parents and godfather.

"How about I call you uncle Moony?" suggested Harry. "It's what I probably would have called you anyway if my parents were still alive." Remus' eyes sparkled with unshed tears as he smiled.

"I'd like that, Harry," choked out Uncle Moony, pulling Harry into another one-armed hug.

"So who's stalking us?" asked Harry. Uncle Moony blinked in surprise.

"How did you know someone was watching us?" said Uncle Moony. Harry hesitated for a moment.

"Because I can hear them," answered Harry quietly. Remus raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Do you know where they are this instant?" Harry pointed to a seemingly vacant park bench on the other side of the park. "How do you know they're there?" asked Moony.

"I can hear their breathing and heartbeat," replied Harry. He looked at his newly adopted uncle, confusion on his face. Moony looked worried though.

"Harry, have you been attacked by anything this past week? Something like a large wolf-like creature?" demanded Moony urgently. Harry shook his head.

"No, I've been stuck at the Dursleys' this whole time and I only noticed my hearing has improved today," said Harry. "Besides, if I was attacked by a werewolf I would have let you guys know straight away." Moony sighed in relief, his posture loosening.

"How well can you hear, Harry?" asked Moony.

"Well, I can hear our stalker's heartbeat from way over there. I can also hear someone playing Mariah Carey a few blocks down that way," answered harry, pointing to where he could hear the music.

"All the way over there? Harry, even with my enhanced senses, I can't even hear that," said Moony. Harry raised an eyebrow.

"Really? I thought you would have," replied Harry, his face contorted into a thoughtful expression. "Do you know what's happening to me?" Moony stroked his chin thoughtfully.

"I have an idea. James told me something about the Potter family but couldn't go into too much detail because it's a closely guarded secret. But I'll do some research for you to find out more if you'd like," said Moony. Harry nodded his head.

"Thanks Uncle." Remus smiled.

"Oh, before I forget, Dumbledore has asked if you would be willing to receive some training for the rest of the holidays," said Moony. Harry perked up at this. "If you accept, Dumbledore has asked Moody, Tonks, Kingsley and myself to help you with you spellwork and dueling. We all know that sooner or later you're going to be fighting, and Voldemort will still be coming after you." Harry grinned at that.

"Excellent, when do we start?" said Harry in a determined voice. Moony grinned mischievously.

"Tomorrow, five o'clock in the morning. You up for that?"

"Count me in." Moony patted Harry on the back.

"Oh, and you'll be heading to the Burrow in two weeks. but don't worry, we can just move your training there when you move."

"Excellent. Maybe Ron and Hermione will like to join us," said Harry. "And Ginny too," he added.

"Which brings me to my next subject," began Moony. "When are you going to ask Miss Weasley out?" Harry's eyes widened in horror at that.

"What? What the bloody hell made you say that?" growled Harry. Moony only laughed.

"You mean to tell me that nobody's told you about the Potter Curse?" laughed Moony.

"What Potter Curse? And what does Ginny have to do with a curse?"

"Oh Harry, you have so much to learn about your heritage," answered Moony mirthfully. "You see, every Potter male for the last three hundred years has ended up married to a redhead, no exceptions. Your father, grandfather, great-grandfather, great-great-grandfather..."

"You're pulling my leg aren't you," interrupted Harry. This only set Moony to laughing even more.

"Oh no, I'm being fully serious. I only brought this up because sooner or later you're going to start noticing Miss Weasley and by then you're a goner," cackled Moony. "Might as well keep up the tradition, dear Harry. Besides, she's already got a crush on you."

"No she doesn't. She's dating Dean Thomas," snapped Harry. Moony however, didn't seem bothered by this.

"Don't worry, that'll only be a little fling, nothing more. She'll come back around eventually. And so will you," said Moony with mock seriousness.

"Whatever, I'm not having this conversation," grumbled Harry. "AND I CAN HEAR LAUGHING TOO TONKS SO SHUT IT," he bellowed to their invisible companion. The laughing stopped immediately from the park bench, followed by muttering about how the hell Harry knew she was there.

"But you have thought about her, haven't you?" though Moony said it as a question, it sounded more like a statement. Harry shrugged.

"She's sent me a couple of letters asking how I've been. At least I assume so. I haven't opened up many letters I've received," replied Harry.

"Well, I suggest you head on home and start talking to your friends again. They miss you Harry, and they're worried about you. Oh don't get angry," said Moony quickly before Harry could interrupt, "I'll tell them you're actually doing better than they think, which is true."

"Thanks Uncle Moony."

"Any time Harry."

oOoOoOo

Harry arrived back at Number Four, his headache reaching an all-time high from the amount of ambient noise filtering through. Uncle Moony had taught him a few techniques to help sort out what he wanted and not wanted to hear, though it would take some time before he would be able to master it. He clambered up the stairs to his bedroom, closing the door as quietly as he could. Inside, he found the stack of unopened letters addressed to him. Not finding anything else better to do, Marry began reading them. The first letter was from Ron.

 _Hey mate,_

 _We just got permission from Dumbledore for you to come over to stay with us for the rest of the holidays. We'll pick you up on the 30th of July so be ready or Mum'll have kittens._

 _It's pretty boring here without you mate. Sure Hermione and Ginny are here but I need some guys to hang out with. Fred and George have moved into London just above their new shop in Diagon Alley. Bloody hell mate it's brilliant there. Even Mum's impressed with them since they're doing so well. Maybe we'll be able to go have a look there when we go to get our school supplies._

 _Oi I need your help with a couple things. Firstly, how can I attract the attention of a woman? I'm asking you because you've had experience in the matter and we all know how thick I can be when it comes to girls._

 _Secondly, how can we get Ginny to break up with Dean Thomas? I know he's a great guy and all but he's really not Ginny's type. We both know that Dean's almost as bad as Seamus when is comes to girls so I'm really worried that he'll hurt my little sister. Any thoughts on that?_

 _Anyway, hope the Muggles aren't treating you badly otherwise they're gonna end up facing the wrath of Mum, and you know what she's like when she's angry._

 _From Ron._

Harry smirked. He knew exactly which girl's attention he was trying to get. They could be so thick sometimes. He grabbed the next letter from the pile, which was from Hermione.

 _Dear Harry,_

 _How are you holding up? I know it must be hard for you to go through something by yourself, but just know that Ron and I are always here for you. And don't say 'I'm fine,' because we both know that for you it could mean 'I'm actually fine,' to 'I'm getting mauled by a manticore.'_

 _Have you heard about when we get our O.W.L's back? I'm really worried that I might have failed my exams. I mean, I know I studied as much as I could but it still worries me that I could have done better. I'm sure you did fine in your DADA exam at least. Hopefully you did well in your potions. You did say you wanted to become and Auror, correct?_

 _I hate to thrust this upon you but I may need some help. Hypothetically speaking, how you you try to get the attention of someone you liked? Cause I've been trying to get the attention of someone for years now but all we've ever done is fight. How would you react in this hypothetical person's place?_

 _Life here at the Burrow is okay at best. I hate to admit it, but I miss the twin's antics. At least there was never a dull day whenever those two were around. Don't get me wrong it's fun being with Ginny but when you've been stuck here for nearly a month you start running out of things to talk about. I feel bad that we might be leaving Ron out of things, but Ginny says that it's revenge for him ignoring her for ages._

 _Hope you're doing okay Harry._

 _Love from,_

 _Hermione._

Harry chuckled to himself. He clearly knew that Hermione was talking about herself in regards to her feelings towards Ron. It seemed that everyone in Hogwarts knew about them except them. In fact, there was a large bet taking place as to when those two would get a clue. Of course, Harry had started the bet and currently had the most galleons put into it. Chuckling again, Harry grabbed the next letter. It was from Ginny. In fact, the next three letters were from Ginny.

 _Harry,_

 _How are you? And don't give me that rubbish excuse "I'm fine," cause we both know that isn't true. I can't say I know what you're going through, because I've never been in your situation. but I do know how Tom works. He tricks you into thinking your worst fears are coming true and uses that against you. I know you haven't been replying to many of your letters, and the ones you do reply to are very short and vague. Harry, this is what Tom wants, he wants you to feel cut off from the world, make you think that you can't talk to anyone about anything. It's what he did to me with the diary. Don't fall into that trap._

 _On a lighter note, this summer hasn't been too bad, all things considered. The Burrow's become the new headquarters for the Order because Dumbledore fears that Kreacher (that filthy bastard, but don't tell Hermione I said that about him) might have revealed the previous place's location. So there's been a lot of people coming in to our home. Some people are friendly enough, like Lupin and Tonks (I swear there's something going on between the two), but us kids are mostly ignored. The best thing about the Burrow being Headquarters is that I get to see Bill and Charlie a lot more now. They're doing well, by the way. Of course I don't know what's going on, I'm just a little 14 year old girl. Ron and Hermione don't know anything either, but everyone's starting to get nervous._

 _Hanging with Ron and Hermione isn't too bad, but Hermione keeps worrying about leaving Ron out. I reckon I'm being left out more than Ron is though. I swear that those two have been inseparable since Hermione got here. If you ask me, those two are in dire need of a snogging session, the tension between the two couldn't be broken with a Reductor curse._

 _Hope those Muggles are treating you alright Harry, otherwise I'll introduce them to my Bat-Bogey Hex._

 _Love,_

 _Ginny._

Harry snorted in laughter at the last part of Ginny's letter, mostly because what she said was true. But he became serious again when he remembered what she said about the Order getting nervous. Something must definitely be going on to get everyone's nerves on edge.

Harry read Ginny's other three letters, which were pretty much the same as the first, though Harry could tell that she was getting frustrated with his lack of response. Ginny sure had changed since her first year. She was no longer the shy, clumsy girl who squeaked and ran away at the mere sight of Harry, instead becoming a remarkable young woman who exuded confidence. The past year he had also learned that she had a bit of a wicked streak in her comparable to the twins, though Ginny was more subtle in her pranks was far more capable of getting away with them.

With these thoughts, Harry began writing back to his friends, telling them about his summer, how he was doing really, and offering advice to Ron and Hermione. It wasn't until Harry began writing Ginny's letter that he smelt something. Sniffing the air, he smelt the scent of raw meat in the air. Confused, Harry checked Hedwig's cage, looking for any dead rodents she may have captured. There was nothing. Growing more wary, Harry began checking under his bed, inside his trunk, his draws and desk, anything that could be hiding a chunk of fresh meat. It wasn't until he opened the door to his room that he realised that the smell was coming from downstairs.

Curious, Harry walked downstairs into the kitchen, where his nose was fully assaulted by the different smells. He saw a piece of raw steak being cut up by Aunt Petunia, but also detected other smells pervading his nostrils. Different cartridges of herbs and spices lay on the kitchen counter, open for Harry to smell. He smelt the salty scent of sweat coming from the living room behind him, no doubt from his whales of an uncle and cousin as they suffered in the summer heat. His aunt's perfume was revolting, a mix of chemicals that made her smell like a walking chemical plant. Repulsed, Harry ran back into his room and closed the door, blocking the scents wafting from downstairs.

Harry opened up his bedroom windows to let some fresh air, but was almost overcome with dizziness as a wave of other smells struck him. He could smell the lilies growing in the garden below him. He could smell the bark from the trees, the scent of dog coming from the neighbours four houses down the street, the pollution in the air. He could smell the freshly cut grass, the scent of a field mouse eating one of Aunt Petunia's tomatoes in her beloved garden. He could almost taste the different smells coming from the breeze into his room as well. The most powerful smell, however, was of his beloved owl, who was perched atop her cage like a silent guardian.

Frustrated at these new developments, he grabbed a piece of parchment for Uncle Moony.

 _Uncle Moony,_

 _Another interesting ability has developed. I'll let you know more about it tomorrow when we start training._

 _Love_

 _Harry._

Harry signed the letter and gave it and the other letter to Hedwig, who hooted happily at the workload. Nipping his finger affectionately, she took off into the evening sky.

oOoOoOo

Ginny Weasley sat in the living room of the Burrow, reading a romance novel while Ron and Bill were concentrating on their intense chess match. Hermione was up in Ginny's room studying who-knows-what. Though she was reading her novel, it wasn't what was on her mind. Instead, she was worrying about Harry. He hadn't replied to any of her letters, and the ones he had sent to Ron and Hermione were very vague, providing little info as to what was really going on in Little Whinging. Not that Ginny was surprised that Harry hadn't written to her, she never had in the past.

So it came as a surprise when a familiar snowy owl swooped in carrying several letters and landed atop the chess board, much to Ron's annoyance and Bill's relief. Ron scowled even more when he saw that one of the letters was addressed to his little sister.

"Dean writing to you again?" growled Ron. Ginny and Bill rolled their eyes.

"Yes, Dean asked Harry to borrow Hedwig so that he can send me a letter despite having his own owl," replied Ginny sarcastically. "How thick can you get? The bloody letter's from Harry you prat!" Ron blanched at Ginny's retort, realising how ridiculous he sounded.

"Why is Harry writing to you then?" demanded Ron, trying a new tactic. Ginny rolled her eyes again.

"Because I wrote to him and he's decided to write back to me," replied Ginny, her temper rising. "Now if you don't back off I'm going to hex you so bad Hermione will never want to be with you." Ron's face paled at the threat and took off up to his room, taking his letter with him. Ginny grinned at Bill, who was laughing so hard he was clutching his ribs in pain.

"My, my, Ginny. You sure know how to scare a guy away. I don't think you even need my protection," laughed Bill, wiping a few tears from his eyes. Ginny stuck her nose in the air in an arrogant pose, brushing her nails on her shirt.

"Of course you don't. I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself," she replied haughtily. She then laughed as well before heading up to her room with her's and Hermione's letters. She closed the door to her room, tossing Hermione's letter to the older girl and sat down on her bed.

 _Dear Ginny,_

 _You're right. I wasn't fine. But I've been meeting up with Uncle Moony (that's Professor Lupin) and we've both been helping each other out and I'm doing loads better than I was a few weeks ago. I guess I've come to terms with his death, although I'm still plagued by nightmares._

 _The Durlseys aren't treating me too bad. Thanks to Mad-Eye, they're feeding me pretty good now, although it's not anywhere near as good as your mum's. Tell her that my relatives are actually looking after me for once, I know how much she worries about me. They're still making me work pretty hard but I find it refreshing and it leaves me feeling pretty tired at the end of the day._

 _I just want to say that I'm sorry for dragging you to the Department of Mysteries in June. I know that you came of your own accord but I still feel as if I put you in serious danger. That being said, I thank you, Ron, Hermione, Neville and Luna for being there with me because if I went by myself I probably would be dead._

 _You're right, Ron and Hermione really do need to get their act together and snog it out. I've sent them some letters as well to help them push each other in the right direction. If they don't then I'm going to be pretty annoyed by the time I get to the Burrow. If they do, well then I feel sorry for you, but at least it won't be long until I get there. Maybe we could hang out more? I feel bloody awful for not taking the time to get to know you better these past few years now that I know how brilliant you really are. I'm also sorry for not taking the time to make sure your were alright after you were taken into the Chamber. If you would like I'd love for us to be better friends. Merlin knows we need to be united against the Ron/Hermione dispute._

 _Dumbledore is organising some training for me over the rest of the holidays and I think he wants me to continue doing so when I get to the Burrow. If you want you're welcome to join in. Hopefully it'll take your mind off things and make you an even better fighter than you already are. I know how wicked your Bat-Bogey Hex is and I'd rather not be on the receiving end of that._

 _Of course the Order aren't telling you anything, they still think you're a little girl, but we both know you haven't been that for a long time now and you've faced much worse than what most adults have. I know exactly how you feel in that regard._

 _Hope you're doing well and Dean's treating you well, otherwise he'll have more than just six older brothers to deal with._

 _Your friend,_

 _Harry._

Ginny's heart was beating incredibly fast by the time she had finished reading Harry's letter. He wanted to be her friend! He was genuinely concerned for her wellbeing! Sure, she hated it when people fussed over her but it was different with Harry. He understood perfectly. Not even her boyfriend was allowed to fuss over her. Ginny detected the faint tugging of the heartstrings that were tuned to Harry, and she grew annoyed. No! She couldn't go down that path, Harry would never see her in that way. Besides, she was already seeing Dean.

She was shaken from her reverie when Hermione shrieked and ran out of the room. Intrigued she followed her bushy-haired friend upstairs and ended up facing the closed door into Ron's room. Harry did say something about making his two best friend's see the light, so Hermione's reaction must have something to do with it. Ginny listened closely to hear whatever was going on, but the noises were very faint. Curious, Ginny opened the door slowly. She froze at the sight before her.

Ginny wasn't sure where Ron ended and Hermione began. Their bodies were so closely pressed to one another that it almost appeared that they had been morphed together by one of Tom's spells. Their lips were glued together, making disturbing sucking noises as the kissed passionately. An evil smirk crept onto Ginny's face as she snuck out and went back to her own room, grabbing a camera before returning. She set her camera's flash off and took a picture, then snuck out again. _Oh, this photo would be excellent blackmail material,_ thought Ginny evilly.

oOoOoOo

Dinner with the Dursleys was interesting for Harry, to say the least. With his keen sense of smell, he was able to detect every ingredient in the food, but not only that, Harry noticed that each of his relatives had a unique scent. Uncle Vernon smelled of old bacon mixed with mud, Dudley, surprisingly, smelled like seawater and asparagus. Once he was able to get past the perfume, Harry noticed his aunt smelled like the flower for which she was named after. He thought about bringing this up to her, but decided against it, thinking that she didn't deserve to smell natural as she always put on a fake demeanor when guests were over. Once he was finished his food, Harry cleaned up his plate and made his way back up to his tiny bedroom.

He was surprised to see Hedwig back so soon, her leg carrying several letters. Unfastening the letters, Harry rewarded his bird with some owl treats before sitting back down on his bed. He picked the letter from Moony first, already knowing what it was going to be said. The next letter belonged to Ron.

 _GUESS WHAT MATE?!_

 _Thanks to you, Hermione and I have come to our senses. Somehow you accidentally sent her letter to me and vice versa, so when we read it we kind of found out how we felt about each other. We really owe you one now, all you need to do is hurry up and get here._

 _Anyway I'll see you soon mate._

 _From Ron._

Harry grinned. His plan had worked, thanks to the Slytherin cunning the Sorting Hat had detected in his first year at Hogwarts. Some things were useful after all. He smiled at himself, then proceeded to read Hermione's letter, which said much of the same thing although Hermione hinted that she knew what Harry had done. He picked up the last letter, which was from Ginny, so he opened it up and began to read.

 _Dear Harry,_

 _I'm glad to hear that you're doing well. At least you're beginning to open up more. Although I must ask, why me? I don't mean to sound rude or ungrateful but we haven't really spoken to one another until this past year. And of course I'll be your friend you prat!_

 _I don't blame you for forgetting about the Chamber. After all, your mind was on more important things than little old me. It's good to hear that you're not alone and that you and Professor Lupin are helping each other out. Merlin knows you need it._

 _The Dursleys treating you well? Bloody hell they must be really scared of Mad-Eye if they're feeding you well. Oh, and mum says that she doesn't trust your aunt to feed you well so she plans on spoiling you rotten when you get here. I heard that you're arriving on the 30th? That's good because I could do with some company of someone who isn't treating me like a baby or not related to me._

 _Oh and I'm sure they've already told you but Ron and Hermione got the message. In fact, they haven't kept their hands off each other since. Actually I'm not sure it was such a good idea because now I'm really feeling left out. You'd better get here quick Potter, or I''ll be completely barmy by the time you get here. Honestly it's quite sickening the way they've been acting now. I hope Mum sorts them out because honestly, it's enough to make anyone sick._

 _I don't know why you asked to be my friend, Harry, I thought we already were. But I must warn you, if you think the twins are bad then you won't know what hit when when I'm through with you. And you're right, I guess it would be good to have someone around to brave this romance everybody but Ron and Hermione saw coming, Merlin knows it's going to be a rough year with them around._

 _Special training eh? Well, I can probably guess correctly who's going to be training you. Probably Professor lupin, Tonks, Kingsley Shacklebolt and Mad-Eye, am I right? I know I am, seeing as they're the best fighters in the Order besides Dumbledore and McGonagall. And yes, if I'm allowed, I'd gladly train with you. Maybe you can teach us some of the stuff you learn to the DA? You are planning on continuing the DA this year, right? You certainly helped us a hell of a lot more than that toad Umbridge._

 _Anyway, I have to get going, Mum's calling us for dinner and it looks like Hedwig's getting impatient with me. Your owl really is a smart one. Let me know how your training goes._

 _Love,_

 _Ginny._

Harry smiled at Ginny's letter. Dean sure was a lucky bloke to have someone like her. Thinking about Dean with Ginny, however, made Harry's stomach lurch in an unfamiliar way. He ignored this and placed the letter on his bedside draw, took off his glasses and fell asleep.


	2. Chapter 2- Reflexes

_A/N- I had a request for Harry and Ginny to get together by the time school starts back up. However, I won't be doing this as I have a plan to get them together in a sense similar to what happens in HBP, but it'll still be early on in the story, unlike in HBP where they didn't get together till the end of the book pretty much and that hacked me off quite a bit. Anyways, enjoy!_

 **Chapter 2- Reflexes**

 _Harry's eyes were fixed on the stone arch, the veil billowing in the nonexistent wind. Spells flew all around him, but he largely ignored them, instead focussing on the duel going on below the arch. Sirius was battling his cousin, trading spells back and forth._

" _Come on, you can do better than that!" taunted Sirius, but he was struck by a spell, sending him tumbling into the veil with a look of shock on his face. Harry screamed and ran towards the veil, but was held back by Uncle Moony._

 _Harry broke free of Moony's grip and charged towards the veil. This time, Harry was met with a light so bright that Harry had to cover his eyes until they could adjust properly. He finally looked up in confusion, but gasped at the sight before him._

 _Harry stood before the archway in the Death Room, only this time the place was filled with light and appeared much more inviting. The archway itself longer looked to be carved out of cold grey stone, instead seemingly fashioned out of white marble. In fact, the whole room looked much like the archway. Harry's curiosity spiked when he saw a figure approaching from inside the veil. Harry watched cautiously as the figure came closer, and this was then Harry realised another difference from his previous nightmares._

 _Sirius walked over tom Harry, and the boy took note that his godfather looked much better than he had ever seen him when he was alive. His hair was still shoulder length, but it looked much cleaner and healthier than in times past. His skin no longer appeared stretched against his body, in fact he looked well fed and clean. His robes were made of black leather and fit his form nicely._

" _Hiya kiddo!" called Sirius cheerfully before pulling Harry into a tight hug. Harry couldn't react, not quite having got over the shock of seeing his godfather looking so alive (despite being dead). Harry blinked dumbly as Sirius let go of him, watching the joyful look on Sirus' face slowly be replaced with one of sorrow. "You alright, Harry?"_

" _S-Sirius?" asked Harry quietly. the joyful look returned to Sirius' face as he put a hand on the boy's shoulder._

" _I'm here, Harry. It's me," replied Sirius._

" _But...y-you're dead. This can't be real. Am I dreaming?" stammered Harry. Sirius' bark-like laugh echoed through the Death Room._

" _You are dreaming, but you're not," responded Sirius calmly. "This is the other side of the veil in the Death Room in the Department of Mysteries, and might I add that you look like shit Harry." This seemed to break Harry from his stupor as he launched himself into his godfather's arms, sobbing uncontrollably._

" _I'm so sorry Sirius! I shouldn't have gone to find you. Thanks to me, now you're dead!" sobbed Harry. He was interrupted, however, when he felt Sirius shaking. He looked up and saw Sirius trying to hold in his laughter, confusing him._

" _Er, Sirius? Why aren't you mad?" asked Harry as he stepped cautiously away slightly. This only caused the older man to burst into laughter, clutching his stomach._

" _Oh Harry," laughed Sirius once he had managed to control himself. "do you seriously think I blame you for my death?"_

" _But-" began Harry._

" _No I don't," interrupted Sirius. "If you want to blame someone, blame my good for nothing cousin Bellatrix and old snake-face himself. He led you into a trap kiddo, anyone would have fallen for it."_

" _But you died! I got you killed!" pleaded Harry._

" _Pfff, I blame myself for getting killed. And by my bitch of a cousin no less!" laughed Sirius. At seeing Harry's mournful expression, he became more serious. "Harry, nobody blames you for mine or anyone's death. Moony doesn't, I don't, your parents sure as hell don't. I would have come for you if you needed help regardless of the circumstances. It was better than being cooped up in that blasted house for the rest of my life. Although, your mother gave me a bloody earful for leaving you so early." At this, Harry perked up._

" _You've seen mum and dad?" asked Harry. Sirius nodded._

" _Yep. In fact, they're on their way here right now. But it'll take a little longer cause they've been dead longer than I have." He was stopped from further comment when Harry saw two more figures approaching hand in hand. Harry noticed that the one on the left was taller, while the one on the right had deep red hair flowing behind her. They wore long wizard's robes, but the taller figure wore bright green robes whereas the redheaded person had deep purple robes that sparkled in the light on. Harry gasped when he recognised the two people. The man looked almost identical to Harry, but was taller and his hair shorter. The woman's eyes were the exact colour as Harry's, deep emerald green which shone brilliantly._

" _Harry," breathed the woman._

" _M-Mum?" asked Harry. The woman only nodded her head before she extended her arms out to her son. Harry didn't hesitate, instead flinging himself into her arms and squeezing her like his life depended on it. Lily Potter rubbed Harry's back soothingly as her son cried into her shoulder, whispering words of comfort into his ears. Harry felt someone join the hug from behind, no doubt his father James. They remained that way for several minutes before they finally released each other._

" _My, you've grown so much my beautiful boy," said Lily lovingly. James looked at her with mock shock on his face._

" _Evans, you seriously think he's beautiful? Then I must be beautiful as well seeing as he's almost a carbon copy of me," said James in mock outrage. "I like to think of my son and I as the two sexiest wizards in the world, thank you very much."_

" _Hey!" growled Sirius. James only laughed as he patted his best friend on the shoulder, but immediately stopped when he saw the annoyance on his wife's face._

" _Er, that is I mean to say, I'm the sexiest wizard who just happens to already be taken," stammered James nervously under his wife's glare. " And Harry is the sexiest bachelor in the world." Harry snorted at that._

" _Yeah right, I can't even get a girl and the one I did date ended up being a walking waterfall," growled Harry._

" _Yikes. Why the hell did you end up with the Chang girl? Did Remus or Sirius ever tell you about the Potter curse?" demanded James._

" _Uh, yes. Moony told me about it today," answered Harry. "But that's got to be a load of bullocks..."_

" _Language Harry," admonished Lily._

" _...in the world right?" James and Sirius took one look at each other before they collapsed to the floor, laughing their heads off. When they finally recovered, James was wiping tears from his eyes and Sirius was clutching his stomach, no doubt having given himself stitches._

" _Oh, Harry, Harry, Harry," said James. "I'm afraid it's true. For the last three hundred years, every Potter male has ended up with a redhead beauty. Just look at your mum and you'll know it's true." He took a step closer to Harry. "Now tell me, any red haired beauties I should be aware of?"_

" _Er..." began Harry._

" _Oh I know!" shouted Sirius excitedly. "Ginny Weasley!" Harry groaned, Lily rolled her eyes and James sniggered._

" _Oh that's right. You're good friends with her aren't you?" teased James._

" _Er, sort of," replied Harry._

" _Stop being modest. We know you've been writing to her these holidays," barked Sirius. "I tell you Prongs, it's only a matter of time before they seal the deal."_

" _Quite so, old Padfoot. Might as well do it now I say," agreed James._

" _And how long did it take for you to end up with Mum?" asked Harry. James and Sirius stopped their teasing while Lily laughed (which sounded angelic to Harry's ears)._

" _Yes, it seems that Harry has possessed my attitude," remarked Lily. "But we're not here to talk about Harry's love life and the Potter Curse."_

" _Wait, you agree with them?" asked Harry in a surprised tone._

" _Sorry love, but it really is inevitable," replied Lily before winking. James and Sirius sniggered in the background. "What we're REALLY here for," she continued before glaring at the laughing older men, which effectively silenced them, "is to help Harry. Unfortunately, Dumbledore hasn't done what we have asked, so we're taking matters into our own hands." James stepped in at this._

" _Yes indeed. Harry, as the heir of both the Black and Potter family fortune, you are entitled to everything our families have owned. Originally, you were supposed to be handed over the rights to the Potter vault when on your fifteenth birthday, but circumstances prevented that, not to mention Dumbledore's lack of informing you."_

" _But I've already seen your vault," said Harry._

" _Oh no, that's only your trust vault for you to use to buy school supplies, clothes, brand new brooms, that sort of thing," answered James. "The potter family vault possesses far more things inside than just a few Galleons. Many family heirlooms, books, gold, weapons, armour, former wands, potions, and even furniture reside in there."_

" _And the Black family vault has much of the same thing, except many objects there are Dark magic in origin, so be careful with what you touch," added Sirius. " The combined value of both vaults, not including the heirlooms and jewels, is thirteen billion, five million, four hundred and seventy-three thousand, two-hundred and twenty nine Galleons, six hundred and eighteen thousand Sickles and eighty-nine thousand Knuts. This makes you the wealthiest wizard in all of Britain and possibly the world, Harry."_

 _Harry's spot-on impression of a fish made Sirius chuckle. James and Lily, however, looked at their son with concern._

" _Do you think we should have old him?" asked Lily._

" _Of course. At least he knows he can buy anything he wants without a problem of going poor," joked James._

" _James," warned Lily._

" _Only joking love." At this, Harry snapped out of his reverie, blinking in confusion._

" _I'm that bloody rich?" muttered Harry. James and Sirius burst into laughter again, while Lily could only shake her head at Harry's language._

" _Yes, Harry. but there is another thing we need to talk about," said Lily. "We've noticed that you've been blaming yourself for everything, and we've also seen your dreams. We want you to know that we don't blame you in the slightest for anything. We gladly gave our lives for you because we love you, and you must never think otherwise."_

" _But you must regret dying don't you?" asked Harry, tears forming in his eyes._

" _The only thing we regret is not being there for you as you grow up. But never in a million years do we regret dying so that our son could live. You must live life to the fullest and not let Voldemort dictate your actions. If you do this, then he has already won. Go out more, study, play Quidditch, have fun, fall in love. Do whatever you want to do. When the time comes, you'll be ready to face Voldemort and you will beat him."_

 _Harry sniffled before he ran into his mother's arms again. He let go eventually, wiping his eyes._

" _Will I get to see you again?" asked Harry. Lily smiled sadly at him._

" _Unfortunately, this is a one-time thing. We can't visit you too often because it could force your soul to join us, thus killing you prematurely. But no that we will never leave you. We'll always be here for you in here," she said, placing a hand on Harry's heart. James placed a hand on Lily's shoulder._

" _We need to get going love, it's getting late," said James tearfully. He pulled Harry into a tight embrace before he let go. Harry moved on the Sirus next and hugged him as well. Lily then came over and kissed her son on the cheek before she took her husband's hand and turned back towards the veil. Just as the three friends arrived at the archway, James turned around and called out to Harry._

" _Oh, nice job getting your abilities finally! Your grandfather and I never got to do it, but I know you'll scare the crap out of snake-face when you fully unlock them!" he shouted to Harry. Before he could answer however, his parents and godfather walked through the veil and Harry felt himself sucked out of the Death Room._

Harry woke up with a start, feeling more refreshed than he had in weeks. His vision with his parents and godfather seemed to have allowed Harry to come to terms with their deaths, and he no longer felt the guilt which had crushed his soul for the past few weeks. He knew they didn't blame him, which gave him an enormous sense of comfort. They had provided him with information regarding his inheritance, told him not to live the way that Voldemort had dictated and live life to the best of his abilities. Then there was his father's comment about his abilities appearing. Did this have something to do with Harry's enhanced senses of smell and hearing?

It was then that Harry finally noticed that he wasn't lying down in a dark room. In fact, Harry could see everything as though it were day time. He checked the time on the digital clock sitting on his bedside draw, and growled in frustration. It was only 4AM, but why the hell was it so bright? He opened the curtains to his room and saw no evidence of the sun rising. Several stars were still in the night sky. But Harry noticed that he could see everything outside, and in great detail too. He wasn't even wearing his glasses.

 _Wait, can I see in the dark?_ Harry thought to himself. _And I don't need my glasses as well._ With only an hour to go before his training began, Harry grabbed a spellbook from his trunk, using another of his newfound abilities to his advantage.

oOoOoOo

At exactly 5AM, Harry put on some old running shoes, grabbed his invisibility cloak and headed outside to the park. Harry decided to continue to wear his glasses so as not to arouse suspicion of his new abilities amongst the others. While he was perfectly comfortable with explaining them to Moony and possibly Tonks, he had little doubt that Mad-Eye Moody and Kingsley Shacklebolt would report this to Dumbledore, and Harry wasn't quite ready to tell anyone outside of his close-knit circle of friends. He had already hinted to Ron, Hermione and Ginny about his recent developments, and agreed to explain everything to them once he arrived at the Burrow.

Arriving at the park, Harry quickly realised something wasn't right. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up on end, and Harry had the uncomfortable feeling he was being watched. His ears picked up movement directly behind him, and Harry only just managed to duck before a stunning spell went flying over his head, crashing into a nearby tree. Harry rolled out of the way milliseconds before another spell struck his previous position. Harry pulled out his wand and fired two hexes in the general area of the two spells, leaping onto his feat with astonishing speed. Harry ran over to a park bench and dove behind it just as a Full Body Bind curse struck the back of the bench.

Safely behind cover, Harry reviewed his dilemma. Whoever his attackers were, they were more interested in capturing him based on the nature of the spells and curses thrown at him. They must have been wearing invisibility cloaks or had cast Disillusionment Charms on themselves because Harry struggled to see any of them. That being said, Harry was able to detect small shimmers of a warped environment, probably from whoever was under a Disillusionment Charm. Whoever they were, there was no way they knew about his enhanced senses, so Harry began to apply them into his strategy. His assailants may be invisible, but Harry could still hear and smell them. Calming his heart rate, Harry focussed his senses on his surroundings. His nose detected one person had recently been smoking a cigarette, another was chewing bubblegum in their mouth. Someone to his left was walking with a slight limp and the assailant behind him smelt oddly like silver. The cigarette and bubblegum people were slowly edging towards him from his right, while the other two were stalking him a further distance away.

A plan made up, Harry fired off a powerful Reductor Curse to his left. His aim was true, as it struck the ground just in front of his enemies, sending them flying several feet backwards in a spray of flying dirt and grass. He barely managed to get up a shield as his opponent to the right began firing off hex after hex at the boy. Rolling out of the barrage of spells, Harry fired a quick Bat-Bogey Hex (courtesy of Ginny's profound knowledge of the hex) to his enemy behind him so as to distract him while Harry dealt with the more immediate threat. Harry used his senses to locate the exact position of his opponent, and began to trade curses at one another. Harry managed to get in a lucky Tickling Jinx before he heard his enemy from behind charge him. Surprised at his unknown enemy attacking him in such a way, Harry was barely able to sidestep out of the way. Unfortunately, Harry moved right into the path of a Stunning Spell, and Harry knew no more.

oOoOoOo

The smell of silver was the first thing that Harry noticed as his mind swam back into consciousness. His eyes fluttered open, and his eyes were met with the yellowing eyes of Uncle Moony.

"What?" was the first word that came from Harry's mouth. Harry faintly heard the sound of someone chuckling in the background, but he was too confused to notice. Moony grinned at Harry before taking his hand and pulling him up. It was then that Harry noticed Kingsley, Tonks and Moody standing behind the Marauder with various degrees of amusement on their faces, although Tonks was visibly shaking with the effort to not laugh.

"Welcome to training, Harry. And I must say that you did a good job of lasting that long against four experienced duelers," remarked Moony with a hint of pride and amusement in his voice.

"Aye laddy," added Moody. "You did a right well job in lasting as long as you did, though it's still not good enough."

"Oh leave the boy alone Alastor," scolded Tonks before winking at Harry. "Nice job with the Reductor Curse Potter, you definitely surprised Kinglsey and I with that. Knocked both of us on our arses, you did." Kinglsey nodded his agreement.

"Indeed. You would make a great Auror if you decided to become one," said Kingsley. Harry glowed with pride at the compliments, but was still nonetheless embarrassed. Sensing Harry's discomfort, Moony clapped his hands together, drawing the attention to himself.

"Right. How about we get on with today's training?" he suggested. Everyone nodded (or in Moody's case, grunted) their agreement, so Moony continued. "Alright Harry. Now I know you've been working hard at your house-" Harry picked up the fact that Moony said 'house' and not 'home' "-but we feel you need to work on your endurance so we'll be getting you to run a few laps around the park. No stopping, or you'll be forced to run an extra lap for every time you stop."

"How many laps do you want me to run?" asked Harry.

"We'll start with ten," grinned Moony evilly. Harry grunted in annoyance before taking off at a startling speed. The Order members could only look on in surprise as Harry raced around the large park ten times in record time. Harry finally returned, barely covered in sweat to find his trainers staring at him with gobsmacked expressions of their faces.

"Bloody hell boy, when did you get so fast?" growled Moody. Harry stared at the group in confusion.

"What do you mean? I only ran around the park a few times," said Harry. Kingsley shook his head.

"No Harry. You ran around here like a muggle athlete. But even then they would have been tired after exerting themselves the way you did, yet you hardly broke a sweat," replied Kingsley before he turned to Tonks. "Has Harry been exercising on the days you've been guarding him? Cause he certainly hasn't on my shifts." Tonks shook her head, clearly as surprised as everyone else, Harry included.

"No, all he ever does is work in his aunt's garden moving rocks and pulling weeds when he's outside. Most of the time he's inside his room doing who-knows-what," said Tonks. Harry noticed Moony's slight nod in Harry's direction, indicating that they were going to have a talk after training. After several minutes of discussion regarding Harry's fitness, it was decided that he wouldn't require any physical exercise, so instead they began teaching the boy different spells and dueling techniques. Harry noticed halfway through his training that no muggles had come to the park or even noticed the different hexes and curses being thrown at conjured objects, and that he hadn't received any owls regarding his use of under-age magic, but when he asked Uncle Moody about it, he said that they had set up several wards and Muggle-Repellent Charms around the park, and that Dumbledore had gotten Harry special permission from the Ministry (of course not letting Fudge know anything) for him to use magic outside of school.

Harry proved to be an exceptional student, mastering many of the spells taught to him within minutes and executing them near-perfectly. Harry also noticed that Moony was giving him odd looks throughout the morning, which he largely ignored due to the fact that Harry would explain everything that was happening to him, and hopefully the werewolf would have an explanation for it. Despite his newfound stamina, Harry was completely drenched in sweat from head to toe thanks to Mad-Eye's grueling Auror training regimen. He was grateful for the workout, as it helped him understand the limits of his physical capabilities. Towards the end of the lesson, Tonks began to teach Harry some hand-to-hand combat techniques. While Harry was of the opinion that his enemies wouldn't let Harry get close enough to disable them with martial arts, Tonks explained that if he were to be disarmed he could surprise his opponents and get the drop on them. Seeing the logic behind her reasoning, Harry quit complaining and proceeded to get his backside handed to him by the smaller lady. That being said, Harry's reflexes were incredibly sharp, allowing him to be able to block several of Tonks punches and kicks before she would surprise him and send Harry onto his backside for the millionth time. Despite being annoyed at being unable to last more than a few seconds against the young Auror, Tonks praised him for his perseverance and skill.

"You've got the skill of a natural-born fighter Harry," claimed Tonks, "Quite a few times I found myself struggling against you, you move so fast!" Harry didn't believe her until he saw Kingsley and Mad-Eye nodding their heads in agreement to Tonks' words.

"Tonks is the best hand-to-hand combatant in the Ministry Harry," said Kingsley, "you should know now that she's not lying. My, even I saw her getting frustrated at your skill." Moody didn't say anything, though Harry was sure that the weird expression on his mangled face was a smile. Uncle Moony didn't say anything either, instead staring at Harry with a calculating look. A few more sparring rounds later, Moody called it a day and told Harry to keep up his exercise and to get to bed early, as they would be starting again the next day. Moody and Kingsley disapparated out after that, leaving only Harry, Tonks and Moony at the park. Harry had asked Tonks to stay, feeling that he could trust her explicitly with the information he was about to give.

"Now, what was it you wanted to tell me?" asked Moony. Harry lead the other two to a park bench before he began.

"Okay, so since yesterday I've noticed several other, 'abilities' manifest themselves to me," began Harry. "My sense of smell has gotten loads better and I can see in the dark. In fact, i don't even need glasses anymore," he said, taking off his glasses and putting them in a pocket. Tonks appeared surprised at this revelation, while Moony seemed to be contemplating something.

"I think there's some other things you haven't picked up on Harry," said Moony.

"What?" asked Harry. Moony appeared uncomfortable, wriggling in his seat.

"I think you're reflexes, including your strength, speed and stamina have increased as well. Not to mention that you're looking much healthier than ever," explained Moony.

"I'll say! My, if I didn't already have my sights set on someone else, I would have ravished you mercilessly by now Harry," said Tonks with a wink, making the younger boy blush as red as a Weasley.

"All kidding aside," interrupted Moony, shooting Tonks a glare and earning a raspberry from the pink-haired woman in return, "you're definitely not the skinny boy who used to roam these streets anymore. Sure, you're still a little on the slim side, but you don't look malnourished. And I have a theory as to why you're looking better and why these new powers of your's are developing. Here," he said as he stood up and moved towards a large boulder in the centre of the park. "Try and lift this." Harry looked at Moony in shock. Surely he didn't ask Harry to lift this thing? The rock must have weighed at least two hundred and fifty kilos! When he saw the serious look on Moony's face, he turned to Tonks. Unfortunately, she looked curious as to what was going on so she said nothing.

Shrugging, Harry stepped over the boulder, squatting as he placed his hands under the boulder. Using his legs, he forced himself to lift the boulder, but struggled against the weight. Harry growled in frustration but refused to give up. This rock _had_ to move. If his uncle said so, it needed to be done. But the stubborn thing wouldn't budge. Adrenaline pumped through his veins as Harry's anger grew. He was vaguely aware of Moony saying something to him, but he ignored it, refusing to allow the pitiful object to win. After five minutes of struggling, Harry let out a mighty roar and kicked the boulder, creating a web of cracks where his foot impacted the rock. Harry turned around to his two mentors and finally noticed the shocked expressions on their faces.

"What?" growled Harry. Moony and Tonks looked hesitant,but Moony decided to take the initiative.

"Harry, look," he said, pointing to the boulder. It was then that Harry noticed that he had, in fact, moved the boulder nearly six feet, and also noted the cracks from where had kicked it.

"Wow, I did that?" said Harry, both surprised and impressed with himself.

"That's not the only thing Harry," said Tonks. At Harry's confused expression, she continued. "Do you remember shouting in anger at not being able to move the boulder?" Harry nodded his head, not sure if he wanted to know what was about to be said. "Well, when you shouted, you didn't exactly sound human."

"What are you talking about?" demanded Harry.

"Harry, you didn't sound like a human because when you roared, it sounded more like an animal," said Remus. Harry's mouth dropped open.

"W-what?" stuttered Harry. "That's ridiculous!" he exclaimed before bursting into laughter. He stopped however, when he saw the serious expressions of the two adults.

"Harry, I wish I could tell you what's happening to you but when I discovered what was happening to you yesterday I was magically bound not to tell anyone, including you, until your abilities fully manifest themselves," said Moony. "However, at the rate of your developments, I'd say it's only a few weeks before you _really_ start to feel it," he added with a mischievous smile. Harry smiled back uncertainly, not sure how to take the news.

"How did you find out what's happening to me?" asked Harry.

"I uh, went to the old Potter Manor and accessed the personal archives," muttered Remus. Harry swelled in anger at this revelation.

"WHAT?" bellowed Harry. "WHAT POTTER MANOR? ARE YOU TELLING ME THAT AFTER ALL THESE YEARS I'VE HAD ANOTHER HOME AND NOBODY THOUGHT TO TELL ME, THE ONLY HEIR, ABOUT IT?!" Though Harry didn't notice it, Remus and Tonks certainly did. Harry's voice had become more deep and began to sound more like a snarl. His magical aura began to create a small whirlwind around him, and Remus and Tonks stepped back slightly.

"Harry, I never told you because Dumbledore insisted that you would have run away to find it," replied Moony. "He was worried that the wards protecting you would have failed if you no longer considered Privet Drive your home."

"Dumbledore?! Oh yes, that old goat seems to know what's best for everyone, yet he doesn't take the bloody time to see if it's what I want with my life! I'm just a weapon to be unleashed upon Voldemort when he deems the time is right!" screamed Harry. He then pointed a finger at Moony. "You tell Albus Dumbledore," he nearly spat the wizard's name, "that I haven't considered Privet Drive home since I first came to Hogwarts. You tell him that I will accept his training and guidance, but under no circumstances is he to make decisions regarding my life without consulting me first, got it?" he snarled. Moony nodded his head before taking a tentative step towards the raging teenager. How could a boy be so loving of others when for most of his life, his guardians never showed him an ounce of sympathy? He certainly could understand why Harry felt so angry all the time, hell, he'd been in a similar situation when he first became a werewolf.

"It's alright Harry. I tell Dumbledore your terms, but first we need to get you home," said Moony in a soothing tone. He watched as Harry's accidental magic ebbed away, leaving a fragile boy behind. "Come on, let's get you back to the house," he said as Harry allowed himself to be enfolded in Moony's embrace, being lead back to the house he hated the most, the house that was home to some some of Harry's worst childhood memories.

oOoOoOo

 _Dear Ginny,_

 _Today's training was really good. I got ambushed by my trainers, but I lasted a good few minutes before Mad-Eye stunned me. They taught me a few really good curses and jinxes, and I'm thinking of teaching the DA if I can get permission to start it up again this coming year. Who knows? Maybe we'll do it illegally again? Mad-Eye and Kingsley are brilliant duelers and Uncle Moony has a really vast knowledge of defensive spells. Well that much is obvious seeing as he was our DADA teacher a few years ago._

 _Tonks, on the other hand, is something else entirely. She's beginning to teach me some Muggle martial arts, so at least if I happen to be disarmed by a Death Eater I can still give them a few surprises. Apparently I'm a natural at this sort of thing, and I could see Kingsley just itching to ask me to forget going to Hogwarts and join the Auror program instead._

 _Uncle Moony was able to find out what's happening to me (which I have already promised to explain to you when I get to the Burrow), but he's bound by a magical contract so he can't tell me until they 'fully manifest'. You won't believe where he got the information, but I'll have to tell you face to face just in case this letter gets intercepted by a Death Eater._

 _How's everything going on there? Are Ron and Hermione still sealed at the lips? I'll bet you're getting sick of it and you can't wait to see Dean again. Makes me feel like I need a woman in my life, Merlin have mercy on the poor girl who I end up after that kerfuffle with Cho Chang, the idea of dating has left a bad taste in my mouth. How's the twins' shop going? Is the rest of your family doing well?_

 _Hope you're enjoying your holidays as much as possible,_

 _Your friend,_

 _Harry._

Ginny put down the latest letter from Harry, feeling genuinely interested in his training regimen. If she was honest with herself, she was looking forward to training as well. She wasn't so sure about Ron and Hermione joining in however. Hermione would be too engrossed in her studies and Ron's a lazy git to begin with.

So Harry still wasn't sure what was happening to him? Would Dumbledore know? Then again, if he did, he wouldn't tell anyone about it. That man has too many secrets for his own good. Though, he would probably be bound by a magical contract just as Professor Lupin was. Whatever the case, Ginny knew Harry was upset about not knowing what was going on.

Ginny was interrupted from her thoughts when Hermione came into the bedroom and plopped down onto her bed next to Ginny's. The older girl noticed the letter sitting in Ginny's lap.

"Another letter from Harry?" asked Hermione. Ginny nodded her head.

"Your's is on the draw," replied Ginny, pointing to the unopened letter. Hermione grabbed the letter and began reading it, while Ginny watched curiously. When Hermione finished reading, she looked at the youngest Weasley.

"Do you think Harry's hiding something?" asked Hermione.

"Well yeah, but he promised he'd tell us when he gets here," responded Ginny. Hermione rolled her eyes, much to Ginny's annoyance.

"I know that, but do you think he secretly might still be hurting after what happened to Sirius? He's probably burying it inside," said Hermione in her matter-of-fact tone. Ginny resisted the urge to roll her eyes yet again.

"No I don't think so. Don't get me wrong I do think he's hurting still but he's been seeing Professor Lupin and they've been helping each other get over their grief," said Ginny. Hermione appeared to be thinking what Ginny said over in her head, like it was some Arithmancy equation.

"You know, you're probably right," said Hermione. "He certainly seems happier in his letters and they're a lot longer than before. What do you think his big secret is?" Ginny shrugged.

"Beats me. But he did say he'd tell us," replied Ginny.

"Yeah," was all Hermione could say.

oOoOoOo

"Oof!" was the sound Harry made when he was thrown onto his face for the twentieth time that morning. Two weeks into his training and Harry was getting frustrated. No matter what he tried, he just couldn't seem to beat Tonks. Granted, Harry knew the psarring matches were getting longer and he was getting in more and more hits on Tonks, but she still was the undefeated champion. Harry's advantage was his speed and strength, but Tonks had years of practice in perfecting her skills, so Harry's advantages didn't mean squat compared to her experience.

Two weeks of training had left Harry feeling tired yet confident in his increasing skills. In single combat, Harry was now able of beating each one of them quickly and even in rounds of four on one Harry was capable of holding his own for an extended period of time. A shopping trip thanks to Tonks had left Harry with a whole wardrobe of comfortable clothes that actually fit him and looked good on his muscular frame. Even he noticed the female population giving him second glances. Some of the girls that looked his age appeared ready to jump him at a moment's notice, a fact that didn't get past Tonks, thus she teased Harry mercilessly. In martial arts training, however, Harry was struggling despite being assured that he was a natural.

"Blimey Harry, you're getting too good for your own good," puffed out a slightly winded Tonks. Earlier, Harry had managed to deliver a sharp kick to her solar plexus a split second before she dropped him on the ground, which in Harry's mind was a victory in its own right.

"You certainly are learning fast," commented Moony. Harry smiled at the compliments and stood up, ready for another round. The two combatants stalked each other in a circle, sizing each other up. Thanks to Harry's improved sight, he was able to detect the slightest movements from Tonks, every muscle twitch, every drop of sweat dripping down the front of her shirt between her cleavage which was slightly visible. Harry focussed on Tonk's face, trying to read her thoughts. Tonks had impressed upon him countless times that the eyes were the biggest giveaway to your opponent's intentions. Unfortunately, Harry didn't expect what happened next. Tonks smirked before she licked her lips seductively, temporarily frying Harry's brain as he wondered what else those lips could do.

 _WHAM!_ The next thing Harry knew, he was on the ground face up, staring at the blue sky above him. He could hear the laughing of the three men behind him and a giggle directly in front of him. Harry sat up, massaging his chest. "That was cheating," growled Harry.

"Oh Harry, you should know by now that there are no rules in a fight, you do what you gotta do to win," said Tonks playfully. She helped an embarrassed Harry onto his feet, grinning evilly.

"So using a teenage boy's hormones against him constitutes as doing whatever it takes?" said Harry.

"Of course! Maybe you should try it on the lady Death Eaters, I've heard a rumour that women love boys with dark, messy hair, green eyes and that adorable half-smile you have."

"So, say if I-"

"I never said it would work on me Harry," interrupted Tonks as she held up her hand. Harry fake-pouted.

"It was worth a shot," he mumbled. At Moody's impatient bark, the sparring continued. Harry watched his opponent, making sure not to be distracted by Tonks' flirtatious body movement or her banter. Instead, he watched her body language, looking for any holes in her defences. He always waited for her to make the first move, hoping that he would find a weakness. Tonks lunged at him, hoping to punch him straight in the nose. Harry deflected this and went to kick her, but she spun out of the way. She then began executing some complicated moves, hoping to throw the inexperienced teenager off balance. Luckily Harry was used to this by now and was able to dodge and deflect most of her punches and kicks. Harry responded by throwing in his own combination of punches, kicks and elbows. The two continued this deadly dance, neither one gaining an advantage over the other. Sweating and panting heavily, the two combatants began to slow down. Then Harry tried something he handed thought of using.

"Oi Moony, when are you gonna ask Nymphadora out?" Harry called out behind him. Tonks momentarily froze, not even realising that Harry had called her by her first name. Harry used the distraction and swept his right leg under Tonk's knocking her to the ground. Before she could get up, Harry pounced on the young Auror and twisted her arm behind her back.

"Guess I found your weakness," breathed Harry into Tonks' ear. Harry felt pleased when she shivered at his breath before he released her. He helped a red-faced Tonks up and turned to face his other mentors. Kingsley and Moody were laughing, while Moony scowled at Harry. Harry only shrugged as he grabbed the bottle of water sitting on a park bench, guzzling half the bottle down.

"Excellent work Harry!" proclaimed Kingsley, "we'll make you a fine Auror yet."

"He's already better than most Aurors Shacklebolt," growled Moody.

"True, but he stills needs more training in other areas, which is where Remus comes in." Moony stepped forward and pulled out a book from his coat's pocket and handed it to Harry. Harry read the title and smiled widely. _The Marauder's Guide to Pranking and Embarrassing your Foes._

"Simple spellwork and fancy dancing..."

"Hey!" shouted Tonks.

"... isn't enough when going up against the likes of Voldemort or even Death Eaters," said Moony. "A good prank can distract your enemies long enough to finish them or even escape if you have to. Your father was especially good at transfiguring Death Eater robes into tutus and princess dresses. Sirius himself proved to be more into making their robes swear and insult their wearers. That book is a detailed guide on all of the Marauder's pranks, which I hope you'll study and learn to apply into your dueling. Just don't use them at school... too much." Harry smiled before he pulled Moony into a hug.

"Thanks Uncle, you don't know how much this means to me," choked Harry as he fought to regain his composure.

"Anytime Harry," replied Moony. The two pulled away as Harry had a quick flip through the pages.

"Alright. Time for you to run around the park boy," said Moody, "then it's time for you to head home and start packing, tomorrow morning Remus will come and take you to the Burrow. You can have the day off to catch up with your friends, then it's back to work on Thursday."

"But it's my birthday," complained Harry.

"Did I stutter?" growled Moody. "You're still going to train in the morning I don't care if it's your birthday or your girlfriend's funeral."

"I don't have a girlfriend," grumbled Harry.

"No, but I'm sure Ginny will be a willing lady for you," whispered Moony. Harry responded by elbowing the older man in the ribs.

"ENOUGH! Potter, get moving and we'll see you on Thursday," shouted Moody, and with that, he Disapparated away. Kingsley followed shortly after saying goodbye. Moony gave a quick pat on Harry's shoulder before he too Apparated back to the Burrow. Tonks was left to escort him back home.

oOoOoOo

Harry had almost finished packing when he heard his bulbous uncle demanding he come into the living room. Sighing, Harry headed down the stairs and stood in front of Vernon.

"Listen here boy. Your cousin, aunt and I are going into town tomorrow and you are going to stay here and watch the house," said Vernon as he pointed a sausage-like finger at Harry. He smirked.

"Sorry Uncle Vernon. I'm going to the Weasley's tomorrow morning so you'll have to find somebody else to babysit the house," replied Harry. Vernon sputtered for a moment before coming to his senses.

"Nope, I will not have it! You are to stay here and that's final!" bellowed Vernon.

"That's your problem, not mine. I'm going home and there's nothing you can say to change otherwise," seethed Harry. Vernon didn't take the hint and went to punch Harry, clearly having forgotten the last argument they had which resulted in Harry to create a blast of accidental magic. Harry deflected the punch and jabbed his open palm to Vernon's throat, making the older man sputter in pain. Then with surprising strength, Harry tossed the fat man over his shoulder and slammed Vernon into the coffee table, sending the coffee mugs flying across the room and the table collapsing under Vernon's weight. Dudley moved to attack Harry but found a wand pointed directly under his meaty neck.

"Don't even think about it," sneered Harry before he turned to his dazed uncle, his eyes blazing like emerald fire. "I warned you Vernon. I warned you but you still didn't listen. Now I'm forced to write a letter to the Order telling them how you tried to hit me. And guess what? I'll put in a special word to ask Mad-Eye, yes you remember him? To come and pay you a special visit. No doubt he'll transform you into the pitiful hippo you are. Or maybe he'll just kill you and be done with it." Harry pocketed his wand and shot a glare at Dudley, daring him to make a move. "I'm going to my room. If any one of you try to disturb me I promise I'll turn you into a filthy rag and toss you in the bin." With that, Harry stormed into his room and slammed the door.

Hedwig flew over and landed on Harry's shoulder, hooting softly to comfort him. Smiling sadly at his familiar, Harry reached into a box and gave her an owl treat. "Thanks Hedwig," he said affectionately. Hedwig hooted her reply before she flew back to her perch. Sighing, Harry pulled his trunk under his bed and began sorting his clothes and school supplies out. With a flick of his wand (thank you Mafalda Hopkirk!), His clothes all folded themselves neatly and flew into his open trunk, followed by his cauldron, his Firebolt, spare pieces of parchment and quills before his trunk slammed shut and locked itself. Satisfied with himself, Harry hopped into bed and drifted off to sleep.

oOoOoOo

 _Harry traced a bone-white finger along the beautifully carved armrest of his throne. He sat inside a marble room, its shadows cast a pale yellow what little light that emanated from the torches. A snake slithered along the floor to his direction before it rested its diamond shaped head on his lap._

" _Massster, Wormtail bringsss newsss," hissed the snake._

" _Well done, Nagini," said Harry in an oddly cold, high-pitched voice. "Wormtail! Come forth!" A short man with a balding head and rat-like features shuffled into the room, bowing to Harry. "What news do you have?"_

" _M-m-my Lord, your plans have almost reached fruition, and your forces should be ready in the next week," stuttered Wormtail._

" _Excellent," hissed Harry. "See to it that my servants know what to do. I want several attacks spanned over the next month. I want all wizards to fear the day they opposed Lord Voldemort. The Mudbloods and blood-traitors will perish, and I shall rule over all."_

" _O-of course, my Lord," said Wormtail as he sauntered off. Harry sat lazily in his throne, petting his dear snake lovingly._

" _Lucius!" sneered Harry in his cold voice. A pale man with long platinum hair approached and he bowed at his master._

" _You summoned me, my Lord?" asked Lucius._

" _Bring your son to me, it is time he learned of his part to play in my plans," said Harry._

" _Draco? But he is just a boy. Surely you can't-"_

" _SILENCE!" Bellowed Harry, instantly cowing the man before him. "He is one worthy of my attention, so bring him forth," hissed Harry. Lucius bowed and made his exit._

" _Lucius?" called out Harry, making Malfoy stop and turn around._

" _Yes, my Lord?"_

" _Crucio."_

Harry sat up straight in his bed, panting heavily. Immediately he got up and marched over to his desk, grabbing a quill and parchment.

 _Professor Dumbledore,_

 _Had a vision. Voldemort planning something, not sure when. Draco Malfoy to be used in plot._

 _Harry._

Harry quickly folded the letter and gave it to Hedwig before sending her on her way. Harry sighed as he lay back down on his bed. _There's no way I'm going back to sleep after that,_ thought Harry as he closed his eyes.

 _A/N- Just a heads up there will be some Dumbledore bashing but not full on "Dumbledore's a douche bag and is getting in my way," throughout the story, but Harry and Dumbledore's relationship will strengthen. Anyway thanks and don't forget to R &R!_


	3. Chapter 3- Heading Back Home

_A/N- My sincerest apologies for the delay my life has been hectic with work and other things. Who would have thought that you were a really good dancer when in the presence of beautiful ballerinas? Anyway enjoy!_

 **Chapter 3- Heading Back Home**

Harry woke up when he heard the sound of a _pop_ outside his home. He checked the old digital clock on his nightstand. 9:48AM. _Damn it!_ Harry straightened up and leapt out of his bed with lightning speed and quickly put some clothes on. He was aware of Moony exchanging pleasantries with his relatives downstairs (though the conversation sounded completely one sided on Moony's part), then the sound of footsteps was heard coming up the stairs. Harry tried in a futile attempt to tame his long messy hair, but once again he lost the battle. The door opened up just as Harry finished making his bed, but he tripped over a stray book and fell face first into the floor.

"Hello Harry, sleep well?" said Moony, barely hiding his amusement. Harry nodded his head vigorously as he stood up from his fall. Moony snorted behind him. "You slept in, didn't you." It sounded more like a statement than a question.

"Sorry," mumbled Harry. Moony laughed.

"Not to worry. I can't remember how many times James had to rush to get ready for classes," said Moony. He pulled out his wand then and gave it a flick, Harry's packed trunk and empty owl cage (Harry had sent Hedwig to the Weasleys' the night before) disappearing with a resounding _CRACK!_ Harry followed Moony out of his bedroom and down the stairs, seeing the Dursleys' eyeing the Marauder nervously.

"Well, I guess this is goodbye for now. I'll see you next year," said Harry. Dudley flinched at the reminder of Harry's final summer with them, though Vernon only grunted and stalked off into the lounge room, followed closely by his son. Aunt Petunia however, gave Harry an inquisitive look.

"Is next year your final summer with us?" she asked. The question threw Harry off guard for a moment.

"Yes. Then I'll be seventeen and a legal adult in the wizarding world. The protections that Dumbledore put around this place will disappear and I'll have to move away for good," explained Harry. "Not that'll you'll be upset about my going," he added. Petunia shuffled awkwardly on her feet for a moment, her eyes darting to the doorway where Vernon and Dudley had disappeared through.

"I know I was never the best aunt for you Harry-" (Harry's eyes widened at his aunt's use of his first name) "-but you were still my sister's child," said Petunia sadly. "I'll see you next year." And with that she strode out of the hall to join her family. Harry stood there for a moment in confusion before shaking his head.

"Lovely family," remarked Moony in a sarcastic tone. Harry chuckled and led Remus outside. Moony then held out his arm for Harry to hold. "Ready?" asked Moony. Harry nodded his head and the two disapparated with a pop.

oOoOoOo

Feeling like his whole body had just been forced through a skinny tube, Harry couldn't stop himself from vomiting into a bush as soon as he and Moony materialised into the forest surrounding the Burrow.

"Shut up," growled Harry as Moony let out a loud bark of laughter eerily reminiscent of Sirius. Wiping the excess vomit from his mouth, Harry straightened himself up and sniffed the air. He always knew that the Burrow smelt welcoming, but this time he had enhanced senses. He could smell the flowers, the various vegetables and a dirty scent that could only belong to the gnomes in the gardens just outside the Burrow. Birds sang a melodious tune in the trees and Harry's ears could detect the sound of the air being distorted by the flapping of wings. He and Moony made their way to the Burrow, but both stopped at the smell of a sweet dessert.

"Treacle tart?" inquired Harry. Moony nodded his head in response and licked his lips. Moony opened the side door to the Burrow and let Harry in first. The Burrow hadn't changed a bit from the last time Harry was here almost two years prior. The old magical clock still perched on the wall, though Harry noticed that all of the hands pointed to _mortal peril._

The bustling of several pairs of feet coming down the rickety staircase made Harry's ears buzz with pain, followed by the scents of his friends. Ron came down the stairs first, followed closely by Hermione and Ginny. All three stopped short at the sight of their friend, their eyes straining to recognise the changed boy. Ron's eyes were narrowed, not quite sure about what he was seeing, while Hermione and Ginny's eyes were wide with, well, Harry couldn't quite find the words to describe it. Wonder possibly.

"Bloody hell mate, what happened to you?" boomed Ron as he pulled Harry into a manly hug. Harry noticed that while Ron was still taller than him, the difference wasn't by very much. Ron took a step back, his eyes roving over his best friend. "You look like you could beat Charlie in the muscle department!" Though he was sure he wasn't supposed to, Harry could hear the small hum of agreement coming from one of the girls. Ginny, he assumed.

"Ron's right," added Hermione as she pulled Harry into a hug. "You look like you've been training for Mister Olympia!" Harry blushed at the praise, while Ron and Ginny looked at Hermione with confusion. Harry was sure she was exaggerating, because in his own opinion, Harry's stature though large, was more suited to the lean muscle of a sprinter or professional swimmer.

"Just been working around the yard is all," muttered Harry.

"And training with me," interjected Moony. Harry's friend's nodded their understanding, before Ron grabbed Harry and pulled him towards the stairs. They passed by Ginny, and he was almost knocked over by the intoxicating scent of wildflowers and strawberries, mixed with something that Harry couldn't put his finger on, though he had smelt it from the women that he passed by on the streets who had had looks of desire on their faces. That being said, he could detect the same scent wafting from Hermione, though it was less noticeable. Harry climbed the stairs and entered Ron's room in a daze, not quite remembering the trip. Ron harshly pushed Harry onto the spare bed and sat on the opposite bed next to Hermione. Ginny entered Ron's room as well and sat next to Harry.

"Alright, time to spill the beans," declared Ron, "why are you so big and what's your secret."

"Ron!" scolded Hermione. Ron looked at her with a look of bewilderment on his face.

"What? I genuinely want to know," replied Ron. Harry shook his head and laughed before he settled himself into a more comfortable position.

"Alright," began Harry. "So you know how I told you guys that there were some developments that I couldn't explain over a letter?" He waited for the other three to nod their heads. "Well, my senses have been dialed up to eleven."

"What do you mean, dialed up to eleven?" asked Hermione.

"Like I can see, hear and smell way better than a normal human should," explained Harry. "I've been able to to hear and smell just about anything in Privet Drive and even further I think. I don't think it's normal for a human to be able to smell the bubblegum scent of Tonks from across a park either."

"What about your physical development? Like why are you so jacked when you were such a skinny twig a month ago?" asked Ron. Harry shrugged.

"Dunno, but Moony thinks that it's part of my developments. He knows what's happening to me but he can't explain it until the change is complete."

"You mentioned that you can see better," said Hermione. "So how come you're still wearing glasses?"

"Oh," said Harry. He took off his glasses and smiled at his friends. "I've been wearing them as an advantage just in case I get attacked. If some Death Eater decides to take my glasses, he'll be in for a surprise when I hit him with a spell anyway."

"Smart," complimented Ginny.

"I can see in the dark as well," added Harry.

"WHAT!" bellowed Ron.

"It's true! I can also smell your scent," said Harry.

"What do I smell like then?" Harry took a quick sniff of the air around Ron, then smiled evilly.

"Right now, it's hard to tell cause you smell like you've got Hermione all over you." Both Ron and Hermione turned bright red as their eyes widened, while Ginny burst out laughing. She brushed a few loose strands of hair from her face, sending her sweet smell to Harry, making him see stars as he breathed her in.

"What do I smell like?" asked Ginny. Harry barely heard her as he was still recovering from the hit of her scent.

"W-wildflowers and strawberry," stammered Harry. Ginny gave him a curious look, but seemed to accept his explanation. Just then the door burst open and Mrs Weasley popped her head in.

"Harry dear, how are you?" the Weasley matriarch asked. Grateful for the distraction from Ginny, Harry stood up and pulled Mrs Weasley into a tight hug. Despite the recent extra padding of his muscles, Harry still felt the air forced out of him by Mrs Weasley's famous bear hug. She let go of him and looked the dark-haired boy over. "Goodness me, you've grown so much! And not looking underfed at all!" Harry blushed under Mrs Weasley's praise. "No matter, I'm sure I can still fill you up. Come now, lunch is ready." With that, Mrs Weasley exited Ron's room, followed by Ron and Hermione. Ginny walked over to Harry and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Mum's been worried sick that you haven't been fed properly," said Ginny. "Though she's not the only one who's glad you're looking so great," she added appreciatively. Once again Harry was hit by that strange odour, but he decided to ignore it. He briefly considered talking to his friend's about the prophecy Dumbledore showed him at the end of June right after the battle at the Ministry, but decided against it. He would tell them later when they had time.

"Come on, let's go eat before your mum starts to worry," said Harry as he led the redhead out the door to the kitchen.

oOoOoOo

"So what do you think of Harry's new look?" asked Hermione suggestively. Ginny blushed as she put her novel down to look at the older girl. The two girls were in Ginny's room. Ginny was reading an old magical romance novel while Hermione had been studying a potion's book. Though she was reading the novel, Ginny's thoughts were on tall, dark and handsome downstairs in Ron's room. "I have to admit," continued Hermione, "even I couldn't help but appreciate the change."

"What are you getting at?" demanded Ginny in an exasperated tone. Hermione shrugged.

"Nothing, I just noticed the looks you were giving him when he wasn't looking. And between you and me, He was looking at you the same way," said Hermione. Ginny blushed again and buried her face in her hands.

"I'm sure you were just imagining things," reasoned Ginny, but the older girl shook her head.

"No, I know what I saw. Given his new abilities, I think your scent was quite delightful to him. His eyes kept glazing over every time you moved or got closer to him." Ginny refused to believe Hermione though.

"Sorry, but I'm not taking that chance. Besides, I'm dating Dean and I'm happy," said Ginny.

"Are you sure? I mean, you've loved Harry ever since you met him and-"

"Look," interrupted Ginny. "That was a little girl's crush on a celebrity that I got over last year. Sure Harry's finally become to include me but that's because I've grown up and stopped acting stupid around him. I'm happy with Dean and that's all there is too it." Hermione raised an eyebrow at Ginny.

"Dean is a nice guy, I can't argue with that. But does he treat you like you?"

For that, Ginny had no answer.

oOoOoOo

Harry woke the next morning to see Ron standing above him with an annoyed look.

"What?" grumbled Harry.

"You're just gonna sleep right through your birthday are you?" asked Ron in an annoyed tone. Harry sat up straight and pushed his best friend away before fetching his glasses and putting them on. "What time is it?" asked Harry.

"Almost half-past eight. Come on mate, Mum's got breakfast ready," said Ron as he left his room, leaving Harry to get dressed.

Harry's birthday was a relatively small affair, with much of the day spent playing Quidditch or swimming in the Weasleys' pond. Fred and George stopped by during lunchtime to give Harry is birthday gift and telling him all about they're new joke shop and the massive amount of success it was having. Even Mrs. Weasley couldn't deny the twin's success over the summer. Harry promised to have a look when he, Hermione and the rest of the Weasleys travelled to Diagon Alley for their school shopping. Dinner was a larger affair, with several members of the Order came by to celebrate Harry's birthday. Mrs. Weasley went all out and made every dish that Harry enjoyed most, while his cake was a large chocolate cake made in the the shape of a lightning bolt with icing the same colour as his eyes. To his embarrassment (and secretly, his pleasure), Hermione and Ginny both gave him a kiss on his cheeks when he blew out his candles, causing him to blush heavily, mush to the amusement of everyone else. Fred and George both commented on how Harry must secretly be a Weasley to be able to turn that red.

Harry's presents included a book titled _Advanced Defensive Spells_ by Hermione, a Chudley Cannons poster by Ron, a wand holster that Harry could attach on his forearm for a quick draw from Moony and Tonks, a miniature foe glass from Mad-Eye ("You can keep in your pocket boy, that way no one will be able to sneak up on you"), several sweets from Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, a moving Common Welsh Green figurine from Bill and Charlie (Charlie was still in Romania) and a new pair of Seeker's gloves from Ginny. After dinner everyone went outside and watched the fireworks display courtesy of Fred and George before everyone retired to bed.

oOoOoOo

Harry woke up early the next day to prepare for training. He got dressed into comfortable workout clothes and snuck downstairs, being careful to avoid the creaking step. He quickly made himself some breakfast when he sensed someone standing behind him. With the speed of a cat Harry spun around and drew his wand, but found Ginny staring at him cautiously.

"Oh it's you," said Harry in a relieved tone. Ginny, while still cautious, raised and eyebrow and glared.

"Mad-Eye's been rubbing off on you," she said slyly. Harry grinned and sat back down to continue eating his cereal. Ginny joined him and sat down in the chair next to Harry.

"How come you're up so early?" asked Harry.

"I'm taking up your offer to train," replied Ginny easily. Harry smiled at her.

"I honestly thought you wouldn't have," admitted Harry. Ginny stopped eating and looked at the boy next to her.

"Why? Is it because I'm just a girl?" she growled. Harry's eyes widened at the accusation.

"N-no it's just that Weasley's aren't known for being morning people," replied Harry, trying to joke and diffuse the situation before Ginny's temper got even worse. It seemed to have worked because she looked at Harry thoughtfully and grinned.

"I can't argue with that logic," she mumbled. Harry chuckled quietly and finished his breakfast, then got up and headed for the back door. Ginny messily slurped up the leftover milk from her cereal and followed the raven-haired boy outside, where Harry's mentors were waiting for them outside.

"You're late," said Mad-Eye. Harry checked his watch and grimaced.

"I'm on time though," he pointed out.

"Exactly," said Tonks with a wink.

"Well, well, well, look who decided to join us," said Moony, nodding his head towards Ginny. Ginny merely grinned at the attention.

"I figured that as much as he'd like to try, Harry can't watch all of our backsides and cover his own at the same time," she said cheekily, earning a nudge in the shoulder from a red-faced Harry. Moony, Tonks and Kingsley laughed but Mad-Eye scowled.

"Smart thinking lass, now hurry up Potter, we haven't got all day," growled Mad-Eye impatiently. Harry immediately straightened up and took off at a run towards the forest near the Burrow. He stopped however, when he realised that Ginny wasn't with him.

"Are you coming?" called out Harry. Ginny shrugged and took off running too and quickly joined him. After about ten minutes of running Harry began to notice Ginny tiring. _All ready?_ Her breathing was started to come out in wheezes and her heart was racing. Her shirt was drenched in sweat and her face red with exertion. Harry couldn't help but smile and the sight, reminding him of when he first started training. Unfortunately Ginny saw the smile.

"What... are you... smirking at Potter?" snarled Ginny. Harry laughed.

"Nothing. You just look like me a few weeks ago when I started," he replied.

"You... got fit... that quick?"

"Oh no, trust me I'm still struggling a little, but nowhere near as bad as you." Soon they had made it back to the Burrow's backyard, where the Order members were waiting for them. Harry began stretching as soon as they finished running. Meanwhile, Ginny all but collapsed to the ground, feeling completely spent.

"Is that all for today?" she asked Harry when she had recovered her breath.

"Nope, now's the fun part," answered Harry. Just then Harry's trainers came over and Harry began revising spells with them. Throughout the weeks, Harry's spell knowledge had expanded immensely and he was excited to teach the DA them. _If Dumbledore will let me keep the DA running,_ Harry reminded himself. "You ready?" Harry asked Ginny. As she was about to reply, Remus cut in.

"I think that Miss Weasley should go with Tonks for today, she'll help her catch up until she's ready to begin training with you," he said.

"Wow, thanks for making me do catch up," grumbled Tonks, though everyone could tell that the young Auror was happy to spend time with another girl for a change. Ginny agreed with Remus and followed Tonks to a separate area.

Tonks' knowledge of spells and dueling techniques and spells was impressive, though Ginny wasn't surprised by it. She was a quick learner, Tonks pointed out and they had a friendly duel. Ginny lost when she became distracted by the display of magic going on next to them. After being helped up by the older woman, they made their way over to see the duel taking place between Harry, Remus, Moody and Kingsley. It was immediately clear that Harry was the superior fighter when Ginny watched him duck and weave around the various curses thrown his way with inhuman speed and agility, returning almost as many curses back. This display was a far cry from the scared, inexperienced boy from June, despite already being a formidable opponent. Anyone could see that Harry was in his element.

Behind Ginny and Tonks, the other people staying in the Burrow had come out to watch the battle take place. Fred and George seemed to be making a bet on who would win, while Ron and Hermione were cheering their best friend on. Mrs. Weasley had a look of worry on her face for Harry.

"I'd better join in before they get their asses handed to them," said Tonks as she drew her wand and jumped into the fray. Harry looked to have been startled by the new addition, but quickly adapted to the situation. Eventually Harry had disarmed everyone but Moody, who seemed to be using every trick up his sleeve to defeat the teenager. Eventually Harry was disarmed, but laughed when Moody sank to the ground sweating profusely.

Ginny clapped along with everyone else at the show and Harry's cheeks burned with embarrassment. Ron and Hermione rushed over to join their friend, congratulating him for his effort.

"I'd love to see you fight You-Know-Who now!" exclaimed Ron. Harry frowned at that.

"I still lost that duel Ron, and everyone's told me that Voldemort's much more powerful than that," Harry reminded Ron. Ron however, blew his excuse off.

"I don't care. Hey, maybe you could surprise the snake and get a lucky shot in," he said happily before joining Hermione.

"Yeah, maybe," whispered Harry.

oOoOoOo

The holidays continued much the same way for the next couple of weeks after Harry's first training session at the Burrow. Harry and Ginny would wake up early and train, then afterwards have breakfast and do chores around the property then spend the afternoons having free time, which usually consisted of pick-up games of Quidditch or playing in the pond.

Three things of note happened during the two weeks after Harry's birthday. The first was Bill's unexpected announcement of his engagement to Fleur Delacour (much to Ginny and Mrs. Weasley's annoyance).

"I mean seriously? Bill could marry anyone he wanted to and he decides with Phlegm!" Ginny had shouted one morning during her and Harry's morning run. Harry quite liked the nickname given to Ginny's future sister in-law, and the two would often snicker behind the part-veela's back whenever she would come over.

The second thing was Ginny's birthday and the arrival of the student's Hogwarts owls. Harry was awarded Quidditch Captain ("I bloody knew it!" proclaimed Ron) as Katie Bell had turned down the responsibility to focus on her upcoming N.E.W.T.'s. Along with the list of school supplies for the school year, the three sixteen year olds received their O.W.L. results. Harry had passed all but History of Magic and Divination. He even received extra credit for his conjuring a corporeal Patronus for his Defense against the Dark Arts exam. Ron had a similar score as Harry, but had passed Divination instead of Care of Magical Creatures. Unsurprisingly, Hermione had passed all her exams with flying colours. Ron grumbled at that, but was immediately silenced when Mrs. Weasley smacked him on the back of the head. Plans to head to Diagon Alley the next week were made shortly after congratulations were given.

The third event occurred when Dumbledore showed up the day after Ginny's birthday during breakfast. To say the reunion between Harry and the Hogwarts Headmaster were awkward was an understatement.

"What do you want?" Harry practically growled when Dumbledore stepped out of the Weasley's fireplace. Dumbledore's eye lacked their usual twinkling at Harry's words, instead looking like a dull blue. The old wizard raised his hands in a peaceful gesture, trying to diffuse the escalating tension in the air.

"I am here to speak with you Harry, and perhaps you could accompany me on a little excursion," stated Dumbledore calmly. Harry raised his eyebrows, surprised that the headmaster would invite him on a mission.

"Is it an Order mission?" Harry asked cautiously.

"Of a sort," replied Dumbledore. He gestured towards the back door. "Shall we?"

Harry looked towards his friends, who eyed the professor cautiously and gave Harry worried looks. Mrs. Weasley's concern was even more evident on her face than the kids', but her nod of assent calmed Harry's anger somewhat. Harry gave a quick wave of his hand to his friends and followed Dumbledore outside.

"Take my hand Harry," said Dumbledore, holding out a blackened hand. Harry looked at the hand curiously.

"Professor, what happened to your hand?" he asked. Dumbledore looked down and sighed.

"That Harry is quite the tale, though unfortunately it is far too long to explain at this time. Now come, we must be on our way." At Dumbledore's words, Harry shrugged and took hold of Dumbledore's arm and the duo vanished without a sound.

oOoOoOo

Elsewhere, in a forest far from Harry and the Burrow, a great beast awoke. Yawning widely to reveal a wicked set of fangs, it stretched its massive body and stood up.

"Elenara," it called. A flash of fire briefly illuminated the cave which the beast resided in before dimming to reveal a beautiful phoenix. The firebird trilled softly in answer.

"The boy's power is growing," said the beast. "It is time to prepare for his arrival."

The phoenix nodded its head and disappeared in a ball of scarlet flame.

 _A/N- Again, terribly sorry for the wait. Any guesses on what the beast could be? Also future chapters will be about as long as this one from now on it's just getting a little hard to cram so much into one chapter at a time when events could be better suited to its own part._


	4. Chapter 4- Attack on the Alley

_A/N- Because I am truly sorry for the delay here's another chapter!_

 **Chapter 4- Attack on the Alley**

Harry was never a fan of apparition, he always felt like he was being forcibly shoved through a thin pipe and out the other side. And yet with Dumbledore, it felt little more than a cold shiver and suddenly the pair were standing in an alleyway in a village. The village seemed small, and many of the building appeared to be made out of either wood, brick or a little of both. to their right was a fountain in what appeared to be the village square. Due to the early morning, very few people were out and about, especially on a weekend. Harry stood close by Dumbledore, his right hand in his pocket gripping his wand tightly. His eyes darted back and forth, trying to root out any potential dangers that might emerge. With his enhanced senses, Harry was unable to find anything, but he remained on guard all the same. Dumbledore led the way, heading for the village square before turning left and down a street.

"What are we doing here Professor?" asked Harry as he watched an old lady dragging her still-half asleep grandson outside.

"An excellent question," said Dumbledore. "You see, thanks to yet another series of unfortunate events Hogwarts is once again short staffed, and so we are recruiting a dear old friend of mine in hopes that he might be willing to return to teaching." Dumbledore eyed Harry, and the boy looked away, though he wasn't ashamed of what he and Hermione did to Dolores Umbridge at the end of June. Seemingly reading his thoughts (which he probably was), Dumbledore gave a light chuckle. "Oh no Harry, I am not upset about the fate of poor Dolores. In fact, I feel as though I should be thanking you and presenting you and Miss Granger an award for Special Services to the School." Harry snorted at that, but remembered his reasons for being angry at the old man.

"I wish you had told me about the prophecy sooner," muttered Harry. Dumbledore's face fell, his eyes once again losing their usual twinkle. Dumbledore bowed his head and sighed.

"Harry, it is truly my deepest regret that I did not tell you about it sooner. Had you already known, you might not have gone off to save Sirius, and your godfather would still be with us. It is my sincerest wish that you forgive me of my mistakes and allow me to continue to be part of your life," said Dumbledore solemnly. Harry listened to the older wizard's heartbeat for any sign that he might be lying, but found that Dumbledore was being completely honest. It was clear that this mistake was eating away at Dumbledore, and for the first time, Harry noticed that his mentor truly did look every bit his one-hundred and fifteen years.

Harry took a deep breath and held out his hand. "I forgive you," he whispered. Dumbledore smiled hugely and grasped Harry's hand with his own blackened one and shook it. Releasing their hands, they continued off where they left, once more walking further to the outskirts of the village.

"Professor, who exactly are we looking for?" asked Harry after they had turned a corner down another alleyway.

"We are searching for a man by the name of Horace Slughorn, a brilliant potions master and former teacher at Hogwarts," answered Dumbledore.

"Potions? You're making Snape the Defense teacher?" exclaimed Harry.

" _Professor_ Snape," corrected Dumbledore. "And no, Professor Snape has gone undercover within Voldemort's ranks, and is not expected to return until the end of the year."

"Have you found a new Defense teacher?" asked Harry.

"Yes, but it is a surprise as to who it is," answered Dumbledore with a wink.

"Why have you brought me here? Is there something I can do?" Dumbledore smiled at Harry.

"Why as it so happens, there is," began Dumbledore. "You see, Horace Slughorn is something of a collector. But not a traditional collector in the sense of priceless artifacts or antiques. Horace is a collector of people who may be of benefit for himself. He has made his acquaintance with many people who had either come from wealthy families or gone on to be famous and accomplished. For example, I believe that he he is still currently in contact with Gwenog Jones-"

"The captain of the Holyhead Harpies?!" gasped Harry.

"Yes, and I believe that Horace often scores free tickets to their games," finished Dumbledore. Harry thought for a moment. If Slughorn collected famous people, then that meant...

"You want me to convince him to work at Hogwarts," voiced Harry. Dumbledore nodded his head.

"Indeed. I need you to use for fame to charm Horace into coming back to Hogwarts," said Dumbledore. "You may even mention some of your friends, make him believe that he may have more opportunities to add to his collection."

"But why do you want him to come back to Hogwarts so badly?"

"Horace taught Tom Riddle when he was still in school and unintentionally taught Riddle some very Dark Magic. I believe that Horace may hold the key to destroying the source of Riddle's immortality, but I believe we would be able to provide protection to the poor man. He isn't in one place for too long as I believe he thinks he may be targeted by Tom and his followers." They stopped just outside a small house, and Harry instantly realised that something was wrong. Apparently, so did Dumbledore because he drew his wand and stepped in front of Harry. The front door looked to have been blasted open, it's frame reduced to splinters. "Caution Harry," warned Dumbledore.

Harry drew his wand also and followed Dumbledore inside. The front entrance looked as though a tornado had ripped through it. There were smashed vases and splintered benches. Making their way into the lounge room they found upturned chairs and a broken coffee table. The chandelier lay shattered on the floor, glass shards littering the carpet. Old photos of what appeared to be a muggle family lay torn and ruined everywhere. One of the walls was splattered in what looked like blood. One ugly light purple plush recliner was all that remained to have been unharmed in the attack.

"Why hasn't anyone noticed this earlier?" whispered Harry.

"Muggle repulsion and Notice-Me-Not charms," answered Dumbledore. "Horace? Horace are you here?" he whispered urgently. The recliner made a loud creaking noise, instantly drawing the attention of Harry and Dumbledore. Both trained their wands at the chair and slowly edged closer to the noisy recliner. To Harry's shock, a head popped out of the top and screamed. Hands and feet sprout out of the arms and the rest of the recliner morphed into the body of an older man with the largest stomach Harry had ever seen. His chubby, wrinkled face was obscured by a massive mustache, making the man look like he was giving his best impression of a walrus.

"Albus what are you doing here? You could have at least arrived a little sooner!" bellowed the portly man.

"My apologies Horace," said Dumbledore. "I do hope you are in good health." Slughorn waved a dismissive hand at Dumbledore and snorted.

"I am fine Albus, I was able to disguise myself as that recliner before the Death Eaters arrived," said Slughorn, who then noticed Harry at that moment. "Oh, Oho! I see why you're here now, Albus! You trying to recruit me into the Order now eh? Trying to use young Mr. Potter here to get me to join?" Harry raised an eyebrow at the walrus man in confusion.

"Now, now Horace, we both know you would never agree to that," laughed Dumbledore. "Rather, Hogwarts is in need of a new teacher this year."

"Albus you know I told you that I'd never go back to that school," said Slughorn.

"Of course, but is there anyway I can convince you to join us once again?"

Slughorn shook his head. "No, I'm afraid not," he said. Dumbledore bowed his head.

"Very well, I shall not keep you pressed for time. However may I help repair the damage here?" With that, Dumbledore gave a flick of his wand and all the destroyed items in the house flew back to their original places in perfect condition. The only signs of a struggle was the bloodstained wall.

"Er, what happened there?" asked Harry, pointing to the blood.

"Oh that's not my blood. Rather that was the result of a jar of dragon's blood shattering against that wall during the raid," replied Slughorn, though he was staring at Harry. Dumbledore glanced at the two before he asked where a restroom was. Slughorn directed him and the older wizard left the room, but not before giving Harry a sly wink. The two remaining wizards stood in the lounge in an awkward silence, with Slughorn staring at Harry and Harry looking around at anything other than the fat man. His attention was captured when he saw a familiar looking face in one of the photos on the shelf. He walked over and almost gasped when he recognised the face of his mother, smiling and waving at him.

"Oh yes, I knew your mother," said Slughorn from behind Harry. "She was one of the brightest witches I ever had the pleasure of teaching and one of my absolute favourites."

"I thought teachers weren't supposed to have favourites," replied Harry as he turned to face the man. Slughorn let out a bark of laughter.

"Oh of course not, but you can't expect a man to not have a soft spot for some of his students, can you?" laughed Slughorn.

"I suppose so," said Harry.

"I've heard you're quite the star student yourself," commented Slughorn. Harry shrugged.

"I guess. I'm the best at DADA but one of my best friends is the smartest witch in school," he said. He could see the gears spinning in Slughorn's head, no doubt considering the potential of teaching a grade with such a... pedigree of students.

"Well, I would certainly like to meet your friend," said Slughorn.

"I've got quite a few friends who all do really well at school," said Harry, seizing the moment to plant seeds of doubt in Slughorn's mind. "My friend Ginny Weasley's got a wicked knowledge of some pretty awesome hexes and she's brilliant at Quidditch as well. Neville Longbottom-yes the son of Frank and Alice-" he added at Slughorn's unanswered question "-has unparalleled knowledge of Herbology and has gotten really good at Defense over the past year as well." Slughorn looked surprised at Harry's little speech, but a glimmer of excitement was evident on his expression.

"I see. Well it certainly seems like you've surrounded yourself with the right sort of people my boy!" said Slughorn jovially. At that moment Dumbledore came back in holding a garden magazine.

"Thank you for that Horace, now I'm afraid I must take Harry back home," declared Dumbledore. He strode over and shook Slughorn's hand, who's face was one of uncertainty. "I am sorry that you do not wish to resume teaching at Hogwarts, but alas, I am sure I will find someone else." With that, Dumbledore led Harry outside of the newly repaired house and down the footpath.

"So we failed?" asked Harry. Dumbledore's twinkling was in full force as he looked at Harry and smiled.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," replied the headmaster. At that moment they heard a booming "WAIT," and saw Slughorn waddling as fast as he could to catch up with them, his gigantic belly swinging wildly. Slughorn finally caught up with them but had to rest a moment to catch his breath. Harry hoped that he wouldn't be as fat and unfit as Slughorn when he grew old.

"Alright, alright I'll come back," Slughorn finally said. "But I want a raise! And I refuse to go back to those horrible quarters I was stuck with last time!"

Dumbledore clapped his hands in pleasure. "Excellent! We look forward to seeing you back at Hogwarts, Professor," said Dumbledore before saying farewell and guiding harry into an alleyway, then the two disapparated back to the Burrow.

oOoOoOo

When the pair arrived back at the Burrow, Dumbledore said his goodbyes, explaining he had some leads on Voldemort to follow up on. Harry walked down the dirt path back to the Burrow alone after Dumbledore Disapparated, his mind swimming with thoughts on the morning. When he walked inside the house, Mrs. Weasley explained that they were heading to Diagon Alley for their school shopping. Harry quickly darted up the stairs to change into new clothes and waited in the living room for his friends. Everyone was given a necklace that would act as a Portkey back to the Burrow in the event of an emergency by Kingsley before they left. The group, being escorted by Kingsley and Tonks, went through the Floo into the Leaky Cauldron.

Their first stop was Gringotts to collect some money. After that they split off into separate groups. Harry, Ron and Hermione were together while Ginny went off to find Dean Thomas, much to Harry's concern. He preferred that everyone stay together, but couldn't deny Ginny her time with her boyfriend.

Hermione insisted that they head to Flourish and Blots to get their books first before anything else, so Harry and Ron unwillingly tagged along. After they had finished there they headed to the apothecary to collect potions supplies. They made some other quick stops to stops to Eeylops for food supplies for their pets, some eye goggling at the latest equipment at Quality Quidditch Supplies before Ron insisted they go to the twin's new joke shop. It wasn't hard to find, what with the outrageous purple and orange painting outside. Hilarious signs covered the windows, many of which were direct insults to Voldemort and the Death Eaters. Hermione was concerned that the signs would make the shop a target for an attack, but Ron and Harry could barely hold in their laughter.

Inside was much the same, though numerous toys and odd devices whizzed around the store. The store was a chaotic frenzy, though it had a small element of organization to it. Several small children were begging their stressed parents to buy them knick knacks all over the shop, while some of the older kids were more selective in their purchases. Harry spied Fred (or was it George?) coming towards them, a wide smile on his face.

"Well if it isn't our primary investor!" called out the Weasley twin. Harry smirked and shook hands with him (turns out it was George). "Like what you see?" George asked suggestively. Harry laughed out loud.

"Well it's nice to see my money's been used well," he commented. He then spied Ginny coming into the store with Dean, her hair slightly messed and her face red. He didn't want to know what they had been up to, but he had a good idea what happened. So did Ron, judging by the reddening ears and glare he was sending his sister's way. Ignoring them, Harry followed George as he gave him a tour of the shop. He spied several other fellow students looking around including Parvati Patil and her sister Padma, Justin Finch-Fletchley, Seamus Finnegan and Ernie Macmillan. He said hello to all of them, but felt distinctly uncomfortable by Parvati's flirting and consistent touching of his arms. Extracting himself from her attention, he went out to find Ron and Hermione but was blown to the ground when an explosion rattled the store.

Dazed, Harry forced himself up and looked outside. He swore loudly when he saw Death Eaters outside, shooting curses at the panicked crowd. Harry drew his wand and searched the store for his friends, finding Hermione struggling to lift a collapsed shelf from an unconscious Ron. Harry quickly levitated the shelf off his best friend and dragged him behind one of the counters.

"Why haven't you escaped yet?" demanded Harry.

"They've put up anti-Portkey wards up!" screamed Hermione. Harry nodded his head in understanding before looking at his unconscious friend.

"Watch him," Harry told Hermione before he crawled over to one of the windows and peered outside. He spotted a Death Eater torturing a small child and fired a powerful stunner at the Dark wizard. The Death Eater was blown off his feet and thrown across the street, smashing into a wall where he crumpled to the ground and didn't get up. Harry quickly cast a summoning charm on the child and carried him over to the counter near Hermione. He quickly returned and fired off a round of multiple curses and jinxes. One powerful Blasting Curse struck the ground next to a pair of Death Eaters, sending the two flying. he saw Kingsley and Tonks dueling a group of Death Eaters near an alleyway and also saw Neville fighting another Death Eater.

Fred and Geaorge had returned from the back of the store at that moment, both carrying a box of tricks. They released a set of devices, which set off in ball of colourful fire when the hit the Death Eaters. Many of their robes caught fire and they struggled to put them out, making them vulnerable for attack. Harry used the advantage and fired off a barrage of spells, many of which struck the distracted Death Eaters. At that moment Ginny saw a stranded Ginny hiding behind a bench outside, firing off hexes. However Harry could tell that she was in trouble to he rushed towards her firing of curses and shielding himself. He dove under the bench next to Ginny just as a Killing Curse impacted right were he stood a moment earlier.

"Where's Dean?" shouted Harry. Ginny's eyes were swollen from crying, he noticed.

"The git took off when the fighting started and left me here," sobbed Ginny. Harry growled angrily and took a peep over the bench, but had to duck back when another barrage of curses were fired his way.

"Dammit, we need a distraction," hissed Harry. "Cover me," he told Ginny. She nodded her head and fired a Reductor curse towards the Death Eaters, effectively halting their assault on the pair. Harry quickly transfigured a rubbish bin into a raging bull and sent it charging into the Death Eaters' formation. They quickly scattered to avoid being gored by the bull's massive horns, giving time for Harry to grab Ginny and run as fast as he could back to the cover of another store. He quickly summoned a brick into the path of a Killing Curse and ducked behind a wall with Ginny by his side. Thanks to their new position, Harry and Ginny were able to flank the Death Eaters with the twin's shop being the primary defense. The bull had been destroyed by a Blasting Curse and the remaining villains resumed their attack on the Alley. Tonks and Kingsley had dispatched of their opponents along with Neville and they two joined the defense.

Harry was impressed by his friends' courage and skill in protecting themselves. Ginny especially was holding her own thanks to the extra training she had received. As Harry stunned a short and squat Death Eater he was blinded by searing agony coming from his scar. He collapsed to the ground, gasping for air. _No, not now, please no,_ he thought. Ginny came to his aid and helped him crawl over to a bench.

"What's wrong?" she screamed. Harry looked into her brown eyes and shivered.

"Voldemort's here," he cried. Cold, high pitched laughter drowned the sounds of the battle out, effectively stopping the battle. Those on the side of the Light shrank in fear of the Dark Lord's laughter, while the Dark wizards were boosted in morale of their Lord's arrival. Harry saw the snake himself, his piercing red snake eyes flitting over the battle. His grey, bald head gleamed in the sunlight, his black robes billowing in the wind.

"Where is Harry Potter?" he hissed, his voice echoing throughout Diagon Alley. The Death Eaters looked around, searching for the boy who would surely give them praise from their master should they find him. Harry forced the pain of his scar to the back of his mind and prepared to stand up, but Ginny forced him back down.

"What the hell are you doing?" she whispered fiercely in Harry's ear.

"Trying to distract Voldemort so you can escape," he hissed back. Ginny shook her head.

"No, we're going to get out of here," she argued. "You have your Portkey?"

"They've got wards up to stop us from escaping. Clearly Voldemort knew I was going to be here today," said Harry. He looked up and saw Voldemort distracted by the other Weasleys, who were firing off all sorts of spells and curses towards him. Voldemort seemed almost bored with the attack, casually erecting shields to protect himself. Harry gave one look at Ginny before he kissed her forehead and shot a curse at Voldemort as he leapt out of the shop. Unfortunately one Death Eater saw the curse and blocked it. Voldemort turned around and smiled.

"Ah Harry! How good to see you," said Voldemort in a tone of mock-friendliness. Harry saw out of the corner of his eye Ginny sneaking around the outskirts of the battle to rejoin her family.

"Leave them alone, Tom. It's me you want," called Harry. Voldemort twitched in anger slightly at the use of his real name while shouts of "NO HARRY DON'T!" came from the store. Shrugging, Voldemort fired off three Killing Curses at Harry. Harry was able to dodge two of them but was forced to erect a wall to block the third. Voldemort seemed mildly surprised by Harry's display of magical power.

"Impressive, you have certainly learned from last time," sneered Voldemort before unleashing a torrent of curses at Harry. Harry blocked some of weaker curses with a shield charm but was forced to push himself to his enhanced limit to avoid the more powerful spells. The ground beneath Harry exploded when a Blasting Curse struck it, sending Harry flying. He landed with a loud "OOF" and clutched his stomach, struggling to breathe. Just as he prepared to get up his left shoulder was torn open by a Cutting Curse, spraying blood all over the pavement. Harry bellowed in agony and collapsed to his knees. He was vaguely aware of a young woman screaming, possibly Hermione or Ginny. Through blurry vision he saw Voldemort stand over him, towering like a nightmare brought to life.

"A valiant effort Harry, but all things must come to an end," he laughed. He idly stroked his wand as he directed his vision to the Weasleys and Hermione, all looking at the two in shock and fear. "Perhaps I will kill your friends quickly when I am through with you. Maybe put their heads on spikes and place them on the front gates of Hogwarts as a reminder of who is really the most powerful wizard of all time." Voldemort paused for a moment. "Then again, the pure blood gene pool is running low these days, perhaps the little red headed girl could be of some use?"

That comment swept Harry into a wave of pure rage. A fire ignited in his heart as his mind was overcome with the primal need to kill the monster standing before him, to protect his family at all costs. Without another thought, Harry pounced on Voldemort, roaring like a mighty beast.

oOoOoOo

Ginny and her family and Hermione had been forced to hide behind cover when Harry began his battle against Voldemort, but they all saw when he was blasted into the air and then hit with the Cutting Curse. Ginny screamed so loud that the Death Eaters paid attention to her and her family again and they were forced to hide again, but when she looked up, Ginny gasped at the sight.

Harry had vanished, instead a massive tiger was mauling on Tom's shoulder. Black blood spurted from the wound as the tiger viciously shook its head and dug its claws into Tom's back and chest. Tom let out a piercing shriek and screamed for his follower's help. Some of the Death Eaters tried to help, but were quickly torn apart when they came within the tiger's range. Luckily for Tom, the distraction forced the tiger's attention away from him and he was able to crawl a safe distance away, leaving a trail of the inky blood behind. Tom then pulled on a necklace and vanished. His followers did the same and they too disappeared, leaving nothing but a destroyed alley and a bloodied tiger.

The tiger roared its victory before turning its attention to the Weasleys and Hermione. It trotted over to them (Ginny noticed it was limping) and stood there patiently. Fred, George and Kingsley pointed their wands at the beast, and it looked at them in confusion. _Can tigers look confused?_ thought Ginny. She slowly approached the tiger. It had long, shaggy fur of light orange-brown with black stripes and a white underbelly. Its bloodstained paws were as large, if not larger than Ginny's head, and its massive head was matted in black blood. from the shoulder it was taller than her hip, and it could almost look at Ginny at eye level. Ginny's attention, however, was drawn to it's brilliant green eyes, eyes which reminded her of...

"Harry?" The tiger chuffed in response, clearly pleased that he was recognised. "How did you end up like that?" asked Ginny. Harry looked at her in confusion before Fred came over and lifted a mirror in front of the tiger's face. Harry's eyes widened and he gave a yelp before leaping backwards. He looked down at his paws and then behind to see his body and tail. Harry let out a huff of annoyance before growling. Harry sauntered back over to the group and sniffed each of them. Unfortunately Ron woke up just as Harry was sniffing him and in a moment of shock, he punched Harry in the face. The tiger barely flinched at the strike while Fred, George and Tonks laughed. Mum could only look in a mixture of shock and disappointment. Suddenly the tiger sank to the ground and began licking his left side, where his fur was soaked in blood.

"Mum, Harry's hurt!" yelled Ginny. She rushed over and kneeled next to Harry, inspecting the wound.

"Harry dear, can you change back? We can't help you in this form," said Mum. Harry nodded and closed his eyes, the tiger's brow furrowing in concentration. The tiger's fur began to shrink back into his skin and his tail vanished. His body began to shrink as well and morph into a humanoid shape. Eventually and bloodied and dirty Harry sat before them, smiling weakly at his friends.

"Well, that was unexpected," said Harry before he passed out.

 _Well, now we know why Harry's senses and physical abilities have increased. The explanation as to how will be revealed in the next chapter._


	5. Chapter 5- Gryffindor's Inheritance

_A/N- Well aren't I just dishing out the chapters? See end of chapter for more A/N._

 **Chapter 5- Gryffindor's Inheritance**

The first thing that came to Harry's mind when he woke up was that his left arm hurt like crazy. The second was that he was surrounded by about a dozen people. Opening his eyes slowly, Harry's vision was assaulted by the colour of orange. _Am I in Ron's room?_ he thought. _Can't be, the colour's moving around too much._ When his vision focussed, Harry realised that he was surrounded by Weasleys. _Well that explains the colour._ They were still inside Weasley's Wizard Wheezes.

To his left sat Madame Pomfrey, who was currently unwrapping some bandages from his arm. Ron and Hermione were kneeling on his other side, as were Mrs. Weasley and one of the twins. The other twin stood where his feet were and Bill- _When did he get here?_ -was standing above Madame Pomfrey, who was trying to force a vial of blood-Replenishing Potion down his throat. Ginny was sitting next to the healer, her hand clutching his. Kingsley and Tonks were nowhere to be seen. Every one of them had a look of concern on their faces.

"Wha' happened?" murmured Harry. Ron and Hermione shared a glance, while the twin standing at Harry's feet's face broke into a wide grin.

"You mean apart from you trying to eat You-Know-Who?" he said.

"And also tearing some of those Death Eaters a new one?" piped up the other twin.

"Or how about you turning into a bloody tiger?"

"Just a heads up, Ginny's quite the animal lover."

"So she might love you even more now." The twin closest to Harry, who was now identified as Fred, looked at his brother.

"I thought she already loved him?"

"Quite right my dearest brother."

"So why's she dating the coward?"

"Hm, not sure, maybe we should ask-"

"ALRIGHT THAT'S ENOUGH!" bellowed Mrs. Weasley, effectively ceasing the twins' bantering. Harry's in no condition to hear your blabbering." On the contrary, Harry was quite amused by the event. He did notice Ginny's cheeks flare up, probably from what the twins said.

"Did I actually turn into a tiger?" asked Harry. Several people laughed at his question.

"Do you remember what you did?" asked Hermione. Harry nodded his head.

"Yeah, but I thought I was dreaming, like my mind was completely taken over by the need to hurt Voldemort." He ignored the flinches at the use of Voldemort's name. He sat up slowly, rubbing his arm, which was now almost healed thanks to the efforts of Madame Pomfrey. The nurse forced Harry into a sling for his arm to ensure "minimal movement and maximum healing," as she so eloquently put it. Harry looked around the destroyed shop and took a sniff of the air. It was filled with the smell of sulfur, smoke, a little bit of blood and a scent could only be described as lingering magic from the spell fire. Some of the people surrounding Harry gave Harry a curious look as he familiarized himself with his surroundings.

"Ghee, he's even acting like a cat," whispered Fred to George. Harry gave the snickering duo a glare which immediately shut them up. He was then helped up onto his feet by Bill and Ron, the latter giving him a pat on the back.

"Your wound should have healed enough by tomorrow to remove the sling," said Madame Pomfrey as she packed up her bag of medical supplies. "And Mr. Potter, try not to get hurt again before term starts." She then stood up, nodded her farewell and headed outside to treat other injured people.

"Lovely lady, she is," commented Bill.

"Yes, she and I are well acquainted," said Harry. Harry realised the double meaning when the twins and Ron snickered and he felt his cheeks burning. "Er, I uh didn't mean it like..."

"We know Harry," said Hermione, shooting the boys a dirty look. Harry slowly wandered around the ruined store, sniffing his way around. The rest of the Weasleys drifted off after that to help fix the store. However, Mrs. Weasley grabbed the four youngest students and pulled them towards Fred and George's fireplace. Just before they got there however, a voice stopped them.

"Ginny! Ginny, where are you?" Everyone scowled at the source of the voice. Dean Thomas, the supposed Gryffindor who abandoned his girlfriend when the going got tough. Ron looked to be about to charge the dark boy but Hermione laid a hand on his arm to stop him. Dean looked fairly clean compared to his fellow classmates, though he did have a few tears in his clothing.

"I was looking all over for you," he said when he got to them. "Where were you?"

Ginny's scowl deepened. "I was out there stranded and forced to fight when you ran away," she hissed. Dean paled but shook his head.

"No, no. I thought we got separated when the Death Eaters attacked," replied Dean. He took Ginny's hands in his and put on a concerned expression. "I thought I lost you," he whispered before leaning in for a kiss.

To any other ordinary witch or wizard, Dean's display of concern would have appeared genuine. The watery eyes, loving smile, it was definitely a good act. Unfortunately for the dark boy, Harry was anything but ordinary. His enhanced hearing picked up Dean's rising heart rate when he explained how he got 'separated' from Ginny, which could only mean that Dean was lying. Without thinking, Harry grabbed Dean by the collar of his shirt and pulled him away before his lips touched Ginny's. Harry ignored Ginny and Hermione's shouts of protest and lifted Dean up with his one good arm.

"HOW DARE YOU LIE TO GINNY'S FACE!" roared Harry, drawing the attention of everyone in the store. Dean's face had fear and horror written all over it as he tried to escape Harry's grasp.

"Harry what are you doing?!" screamed Ginny.

"HE WAS LYING TO YOU ABOUT THINKING YOU GOT SPLIT UP I COULD HEAR HIS HEART BETRAY HIS LIE!" bellowed Harry. He dropped Dean to the floor and crouched down so he was eye level with him. "If you ever do that again I will personally make sure you can't can't move anywhere but the nearest toilet at St Mungo's," he seethed to the terrified boy. Harry then stood up and moved back to his friends, but not before delivering a quick punch to Dean's nose, snapping his neck back and sending him tumbling into a pile of boxes. Satisfied, Harry grabbed a stunned Ginny and led her back to the fireplace, shouting "THE BURROW" just before the emerald flames whisked Harry and Ginny away.

oOoOoOo

Despite having cat-like reflexes and balance, Harry was still unable to master the ability to exit the Floo on two legs. He was helped out by a quiet Ginny and a nervous Remus before the latter pulled Harry into a fierce hug. Struggling for breath, Harry gave an awkward pat on Remus' back, who then let go of Harry and looked him over. Other than the wound on his left arm from Voldemort's curse and a few bruises, he was otherwise fine.

"What happened? We heard you were hurt but Voldemort was wounded as well and some of his Death Eaters killed," said Remus while looking over his honorary nephew.

"Well er..." Harry began but they were interrupted by the arrival of Ron, Hermione and Mrs. Weasley. Mrs. Weasley pulled Harry into a bone crushing hug, making himwince at the pressure on his injured arm. Mrs. Weasley immediately let him go when she heard him, then smacked on the top of his head.

"Harry Potter! How _dare_ you go off and fight You-Know-Who by yourself!" screeched Mrs. Weasley. "You could have been _killed!_ You almost were killed! If it hadn't been for your little Animagus stunt you certainly would be!"

"Animagus stunt?" asked Moony, a look of confusion on his face.

"Yes! Harry here is an unregistered Animagus and didn't think to tell anyone!" answered Mrs. Weasley.

"Whoa whoa hold up. I didn't even know I could turn into a tiger Mrs. Weasley," interrupted Harry. Mrs. Weasley's retort was cut short when she heard of Harry's lack of knowledge, but a light seemed to turn on in Moony's head.

"Harry, we need to have a little talk," said Moony. Harry nodded his head before turning back to face Mrs. Weasley.

"I'm sorry for scaring you," he said bashfully. Mrs. Weasley's eyes filled with tears and she pulled Harry into a much more gentle hug.

"It's alright dear, just don't get yourself killed too soon," replied Mrs. Weasley as she let go of Harry. He smiled and gestured for Ron and Hermione to follow him and Moony into the living room. They sat down, Moony and Harry in separate armchairs and Ron and Hermione taking the couch.

"Now that your powers have manifested, I can now tell you about why you have them," began Moony. Harry leaned forward on his seat while Ron and Hermione shifted closer together. "The Founder's Four were considered the most powerful wizards of their time, though it is widely agreed that Godric Gryffindor was the most powerful of them all. You see, he was what is called a Natural Animagus, with the ability to transform into a lion without the need of an Animagus potion or training, he was born with the ability. His descendants were all Natural Animagus' as well, but Gryffindor had created a complex spell that enabled his posterity to use their magic to transform into a great predator as well, but were also able to become whatever their ancestor's could transform into. Thus the line of Gryffindor were called shape shifters instead of Animagus. Most of these descendants primary form was a different species of big cat, with the odd canine or raptor thrown in here and there throughout the years. So I wouldn't be surprised if you can turn into multiple beasts."

"Wait a minute," said Harry. "Are you saying that Godric Gryffindor is my ancestor?" Moony nodded his head.

"Yes, and so are the Weasleys and Longbottoms and several other wizarding families, but the Potters are the direct heirs of Gryffindor," answered Moony. "Which is why only you can transform into a tiger without the need of a potion."

"Wicked," murmured Ron.

"This doesn't seem like a very well-kept secret," said Harry.

"Actually, as of this moment, you are all now under a magical oath to never speak of what you have learned unless it is to one of us. Harry can talk to others about it seeing as he is the Heir of Gryffindor and eventually he'll have to talk to his wife and children about it," replied Moony.

"Oh," Harry and Ron both said at the same time, eliciting a chuckle from Moony.

"But Remus, it doesn't add up. There aren't enough big cat species to be able to fit into how many generations of Potters there have been," said Hermione.

"Indeed. That is because the gene carrying this power lies dormant until a great evil comes upon the world, then the power returns," replied Moony.

"Voldemort," whispered Harry.

"Yes. And before that was Grindelwald, during which your great-grandfather Thomas Potter transformed into a direwolf and fought against him, but was sadly killed."

"Direwolf?" asked Ron.

"A giant wolf the size of a horse," answered Hermione.

"But if that were true, then why wasn't my father a shape shifter?" questioned Harry.

"Excellent question. I do believe that is because your father had completed his Animagus training prior to reaching magical maturity, thus his form was different to what it might have been if the Inheritance of Gryffindor manifested," answered Moony. Harry conceded the point and nodded his head. "So, what kind of animal are you? I heard Molly say something about a tiger."

"I can turn into a tiger," said Harry.

"Impressive. Do you know what kind of tiger?" Harry looked at Moony with a look of such obvious confusion that Moony snorted with laughter.

"There's more than one type of tiger?" exclaimed Harry.

"There are seven tiger subspecies, but I believe two of them are now extinct and the other's extremely endangered," explained Hermione.

"What did Harry's tiger look like?" asked Moony. Hermione looked thoughtful for a moment.

"I don't remember well, I spent most the battle trying to wake Ron up. But he was big, even by tiger standards and his fur was thicker and longer than usual. I'll have to go home and do some research tomorrow, hopefully Harry will be able to transform again by then."

"Good idea. Until then, you two boys look like you could use some rest," said Moony before standing and helping Harry up. Hermione pulled Ron up and she and Moony led the two boys up the stairs to Ron's bedroom. Harry stopped though when they reached Ron's closed door.

"I have to go see Ginny, see if she's alright," he explained before dashing up another flight of stairs to the next level. He knocked on her closed door. "Ginny, it's me, Harry. Can I talk to you for a minute?" The door opened to reveal a puffy-eyed Ginny, who ushered him inside. Her room was about the same size as Ron's and just as crowded with two beds taking up most of the space available. Instead of the shockingly bright orange walls, Ginny's room was covered in a pale blue paint, which Harry found much more appealing to his eyes. between the two beds was a nightstand with a lamp and some book sitting on the top of it. Her wardrobe door was slightly ajar, but Harry didn't take a closer look in case he saw something that might scar him for life.

Ginny closed the door behind Harry and stared at him with her arms folded in front of her.

"What do you want?" sneered Ginny. Harry knew she was upset about what happened, but he wasn't sure if she was angry at Dean for lying or himself for interfering.

"I just wasn't to see if you were alright," said Harry. Ginny snorted.

"I'm fine," she replied. Harry quirked an eyebrow up at that.

"You know, when I say that people think I'm lying," said Harry jokingly. Ginny's mouth twitched slightly.

"That because you're a terrible liar," said Ginny. Harry laughed, but got serious again.

"I'm sorry for exploding like that towards Dean Gin," said Harry. "I didn't mean to hurt anyone but when I heard his heart beat faster when he said those things, I knew he was lying and I sort of snapped." Ginny sat on her bed and sniffed.

"It's probably for the best," she said. "His letters to me over the holidays have always seemed a little distant and I hadn't seen him since school finished last year, maybe you just sped up the inevitable."

"That doesn't excuse his lying to you," replied Harry. Ginny looked away from him and stared out her window.

"I suppose not," she whispered. Harry then came over and sat on the bed next to Ginny and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Ginny seemed mildly surprised by Harry's action, but didn't hesitate to lean into his touch.

"Hey, it's going to be alright," reassured Harry. "In two weeks, you can punch Dean in the face yourself if it makes you feel better," he added with a sly grin. Ginny laughed, a sound which Harry swore at that moment to make sure he heard more often. Ginny shook her head and smirked up at Harry.

"Quite right, I believe you stole my thunder Potter," she said cheekily.

"I realised that, which is the main reason why I came to apologise. I don't want bogeys flying around my face anytime soon." The two laughed again, then Harry stood up and headed for the door, stopping just as he got there and turning his head to face the youngest Weasley. "If there's anything you need, just let me know."

"Thanks Harry."

oOoOoOo

The next day, Hermione had Flooed to her parents house to find information on big cats while Remus went to Gringotts to fetch something for Harry that Remus claimed would be of use for Harry to understand his ancestors better. Training for the day was cancelled, what with the Aurors needed in Diagon Alley and the Ministry to clean up the mess from yesterday. Overnight Harry had completely recovered from his injury, so his sling was no longer required. Ron and Ginny urged Harry to transform into a tiger again, but he refused, telling them that he wanted to wait for Hermione and Remus to get back, but he also didn't want to scare their mother.

When Hermione did get back, she brought with her several books from the library on big cats. Ron groaned about Hermione's new obsession with the animals, which only started yet another argument between the couple. Luckily Remus arrived before thing got too heated, carrying a red leathered journal in his hand.

"Alright, let's see what you can do," said Moony. Harry stood up and led them outside to the backyard. He asked everyone to take a step back before he concentrated on himself. Closing his eyes, Harry searched his heart and mind for where the tiger lay. He found a small fire burning in his chest, fueled by the absolute need to protect the ones he loved and to destroy evil by any means necessary. Harry latched on to the fire and let it consume him, the flames spreading through his veins. Harry's body grew over immensely and contorted into a four legged shape, orange, black and white fur growing all over his body. Claws sprouted from his finger nails as his fingers swelled up and sprouted hair. the soles of his hands and feet hardened into thick pads and a long striped tail shot out, swishing in the summer air. His head elongated and widened, long whiskers popping out of his furry cheeks. Finally his transformation completed and in Harry's stood a massive tiger, his thick muscles visible even through his long fur. Harry let out a roar, making his friends jump in fright. The tiger chuffed in amusement before sauntering over a rubbing his head against Ginny's leg. Ginny stroked Harry's fur, eliciting even louder chuffing from Harry as he lay on the ground near her feet and rolled onto his back, exposing the creamy-white fur coating of his underbelly. Ginny laughed and kneeled down next to Harry and began rubbing his belly in an affectionate manner. Ron joined her and everyone couldn't help but laugh at Harry's complacent attitude.

Meanwhile, Hermione was flicking through the pages of one of the textbooks on tigers she brought with her. She gave a loud "AHA!" and crouched down in front of Harry and practically shoved the book in his face. Harry had to roll over again onto his stomach to read the book properly and stared at the picture of a particularly large tiger with long fur running through the snow. Harry's ear perked up in realisation that he looked almost exactly the same as the animal in the photo, minus Harry's sparkling green eyes. He transformed back into a human and grabbed the book from Hermione, his eyes scanning the text.

"Siberian tiger?" said Harry at last. Hermione nodded her head.

"I think so. They're the only tigers with fur as long as your's and also the biggest cats on the planet," she answered.

"Why's his fur longer then?" asked Ron. Hermione snatched the book back from Harry's clutches and quickly read through one of the passages.

"Because Siberian tigers live in the snow climates of Siberia and Russia. All the other tiger subspecies live in warm, tropical climates," said Hermione.

"I thought lions were the biggest?" quipped Moony.

"No. They look bigger because of their manes but Siberian tigers are bigger."

"Wicked," the two Weasley kids said at the same time.

"Well, at least I won't be getting cold this winter," joked Harry, then turned back into his tiger form and trotted around the property. He felt powerful in this form, as though nothing could kill him. He was the king of the beasts, a force of nature that could send Dark wizards running for the hills. His breathing was deep, with a slight growl behind it. His padded feet gripped the ground and his tail swished through the air lazily. Harry sniffed around the Burrow again, familiarizing himself with the scents around him. His whiskers acted as extra senses, giving him sensitive information that he otherwise would not have picked up. His black ears turned around on the top of his head like radar dishes, tuning in to the noise of the singing birds in the trees. He walked over to the tree growing just outside of Ginny's window and climbed it. It was a lot easier than Harry expected despite his size as his claws instantly gripped into the hard bark. He climbed up to the large tree limb hanging just below Ginny's window and lay along it, resting his massive head on his paws and closed his eyes. Harry was vaguely aware of Moony telling his friends to leave him be for a while as sleep claimed him.

Later, Harry woke up just as the sun began setting over the horizon, creating brilliant tendrils of orange light across the sky. Harry yawned, letting off a loud growl and jumped from the limb onto the ground, landing easily on his feet. He sauntered over to the back door of the Burrow and transformed, then let himself inside. Harry heard a quiet conversation going on in the living room and walked in to see Moony and Hermione discussing the contents of the small journal that Moony had brought with him from the Potter vault. They stopped when they saw Harry enter and smiled before Moony gestured for Harry to take a seat.

"This here is a notebook on everything you need to know about your ancestors and their beast forms," said Moony, gesturing to the journal. "It teaches you how to transform into your other forms and what your ancestors used with them."

"Cool," said Harry as he picked up the journal and opened a page to his great-great-great grandfather, who had the ability to turn into a snow leopard. He flicked through and saw other predators such as the leopard, mountain lion, golden eagle, direwolf, grizzly bear and even another tiger, though this one was a Bengal tiger, a smaller relation of the Siberian tiger. "I can turn into all of these?" Hermione nodded.

"Yes. Although from what we've read, you won't feel as comfortable in you other forms as your tiger form," said Hermione. "Though I suppose that won't matter, I'd be happy to turn into a direwolf since they've been extinct for over a thousand years."

"I agree. Can you imagine all the pranking I could do with these? Malfoy won't want to come anywhere near me for fear I might bite his arm off." Moony laughed loudly, though Hermione frowned, but she she too was trying not to smile. Harry closed the book and thanked his honorary uncle and best friend, then headed up to his and Ron's room. He stopped off at Ginny's to tell her about his heritage as she wasn't there with them when Moony told him, feeling it was only fair that she knew as well. After explaining everything and having a light banter session with Ginny, he went back downstairs onto Ron's room and plopped himself onto his bed and began reading the first few pages of the notebook.

oOoOoOo

The next morning, Harry was sitting in the Weasley's dining room when an owl from the Daily Prophet flew into the house. Mrs. Weasley took the paper and paid the owl then began to read, but gasped loudly when she looked at the front cover. Curious, Ron asked her what happened and Mrs. Weasley handed the paper to Ron and Harry. Sure enough, there was a massive picture of Harry in his tiger form at Diagon Alley, smeared in Voldemort's inky blood and roaring at the camera. Ron began to read out loud.

 **HARRY POTTER, THE TIGER OF DIAGON ALLEY**

 _Two days ago, Diagon Alley was the location of a nasty Death Eater attack led by He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named himself. According to witnesses, The attack began just after midday, where You-Know-Who's followers Apparated into the centre of the Wizarding hub and caused massive destruction to property and attacking civilians. Luckily, further damage was prevented with the convenient arrival of several Aurors and Albus Dumbledore's secret organisation the Order of the Phoenix._

 _However, witnesses claim that the fighting got ugly when You-Know-Who arrived on the scene, causing even more mass panic across the Alley. It was only through the brave actions of the Boy-Who-Lived Harry Potter, considered by many across Wizarding Britain to be the Chosen One, that saved many lives that day._

 _Potter, who was wrongly accused of spreading false rumours earlier this year and last year about the resurrection of You-Know-Who, was the only wizard to stand up to the Dark Lord's terror and dueled him. Witnesses state that Harry was severely wounded when he surprised You-Know-Who by transforming into a tiger and wounding the Dark Lord (see insert picture). Apparently, knowledge of Mr. Potter's Animagus training was a closely-guarded secret, no doubt to use as a surprise advantage against the war on You-Know-Who._

" _It was quite the surprise," spoke Fred Weasley, co-owner of the popular joke store Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. "Harry tells my family and I just about everything, I think he himself was surprised about his ability._

 _The fact that Mr. Potter was believed to be as shocked about his miraculous transformation as everyone else has many experts believing that the Chosen One may be a Natural Animagus, who's magic did not manifest until he was put into a situation of immense stress._

 _Regardless, we at the Daily Prophet are forever thankful for the Boy-Who-Lived's actions in safeguarding our way of life._

Harry stared at everyone in the room's faces, all of which had looks of shock on their faces. "Well, at least their not railing on me," said Harry in an attempt to ease the tension. It worked because everyone gave off half-hearted laughs and continued on with their business.

"The fact that they're telling the truth, regardless of how little info they have is what's surprising me," added Ron. Harry shrugged.

"What they won't know won't hurt them."

Throughout the next few days, Harry had devoted himself to increasing his abilities and expanding the amount of shapes he could take. He was quick to master the direwolf, a horse-sized wolf with ebony black fur and emerald eyes, and the African leopard, a smaller big cat with creamy yellow fur with black rosettes. He was struggling with the lion and black panther though, but Harry was confident he would have mastered them by the time school started back in a week's was right though, he did prefer his tiger form, but he enjoyed the size of the direwolf and the climbing and stealth prowess of the leopard.

And so Harry's daily routine changed. His day would begin with the early morning run and training session with Ginny and the Aurors and Moony, followed by breakfast and chores around the Burrow, then he would train in his shape-shifting, trying to master his other animal forms. The afternoon's were spent playing and hanging around with his friends and at night he would read more of his family's journal before going to bed. He discovered that the journal had a Never-Ending Charm on it, so the journal would last forever if need be. Harry learned much of his family's history in the journal. The Potters were often the leading family of the Light against the Dark throughout history and were one of the few Most Noble and Ancient Houses that supported Muggle-borns and half-bloods. They weren't as Pure-blooded as some families such as the Malfoys and Blacks, but were still recognised as one of the leading families in the magical world.

Since Ron and Hermione had started dating, Harry had begun to spend more and more time with Ginny. He had come to value her as a person and considered her to be one of his best friends. Harry had come to appreciate Ginny as a fun, happy, tough, mischievous and, dare he say it, beautiful young woman and not just thinking of her as Ron's little sister. He also got to see the more sensitive side of her during late-night conversations where he would talk to Ginny about his grief over losing Sirius and finding out about his heritage. Ginny would confide in him about the growing tensions between her and Dean, in which Dean's actions during the incident in Diagon Alley had only served to further distance themselves from each other. Though she seemed nonplussed about it, Harry could tell that Ginny was worried about another nasty break up like the one she had with Michael Corner last year. Harry comforted her as best he could, but honestly Harry thought he was rubbish when it came to girl's feelings. So Harry decided to simply be there for Ginny when she needed someone.

Finally the day before school started came around and there was a mixture of excitement in the air. Excitement that the kids were returning to Hogwarts for another year, and fear that they might not see their parents and friends again. Harry had finally mastered transforming into a black panther and was almost there with the lion, and had begun working on the golden eagle, which an ancestor from the mid-16th century could transform into. The last night of holidays was spent together as friends and family thanks to an enormous feast prepared by Mrs. Weasley. Many members of the Order came around that night and everyone was happy and content to simply spend the evening in each other's company.

 _A/N- Yes, there was some (literal) Dean bashing this chapter (I shan't apologise for that). And before I get people saying that Dean's a Gryffindor he shouldn't be a coward, may I remind you that Peter Pettigrew was a Gryffindor as well, though I don't plan on making Dean like Wormtail I needed something in this story to cause some tension between Harry, Dean and Ginny. I'm also under the impression that a lot of magical people wouldn't know much about animal subspecies which is why no one was able to recognise that Harry is a Siberian Tiger, the largest cat in the world. For those of you that might not know, chuffing is the tiger's version of purring or a friendly greeting. Also, MOST HAS BEEN REVEALED. So until next time, PEACE OUT._


	6. Chapter 6- Birds and Thestrals

**Chapter 6- Birds and Thestrals**

Harry awoke early the morning they were due to leave for Hogwarts. Quietly, he slipped into some comfortable clothes and snuck downstairs and out the back door into the Burrow's backyard. Sure that nobody could see him, Harry transformed into the leopard and set off into the forest at a trot. The sun had only just begun to rise from the east, creating many gloomy shadows and small pockets of light that penetrated through the canopy. Reaching a small clearing, Harry climbed up one of trees and lay along a thick branch. Two days prior, Harry had discovered in the Potter journal that shape shifters are able to detect the emotions of animals. The Potters were also recognised as guardians of the Light, so many creatures, be it human or beast, were naturally drawn to their presence. So it was in this clearing that Harry would come and sit, waiting for the beings that dwelled in the forest to come to him.

Soon enough Harry saw flocks of birds flying towards the tree he lay in and perch themselves nearby. One particularly brave sparrow landed on top of his head and began chirping noisily in his ear. A doe and her foal approached a little more cautiously and began grazing on the grass nearby. Squirrels darted around the trunk and branches of the tree, playing a game of tag with each other. Some climbed over Harry's spotted body, much to the leopard's amusement. Yawning, Harry prepared to have a quick nap (as cats are prone to do very often) when a breeze flitted through the clearing, bringing with it a very familiar scent. Harry gave the animals a look that translated to "hide," then sprang down the tree and hid behind some bushes, the other animals following his lead. He watched patiently, his only movement coming from the occasional flick of his tail. His body was ready to pounce on the intruder, knowing full well she wouldn't like it.

After a minute or so, Ginny, with her fiery hair pulled back into a messy ponytail and still wearing her pajamas, stumbled into the clearing. She seemed to be looking around for something, probably Harry. Harry sniffed the air, inhaling Ginny's sweet wildflower and strawberry scent. Though he would never tell this to anyone for fear of dying of embarrassment, Harry thought that Ginny's scent was the most wonderful thing he had ever smelt.

Harry crept closer to Ginny, remaining hidden in the tall grass. He knew that Ginny knew she was being watched, judging by the way her eyes kept darting from side to side and the awkward shuffling of her feet. When Harry was only a few meters away from Ginny, he pounced. Ginny shrieked when Harry's large yellow and black spotted body collided with her's and the two fell to the ground. Harry was the first to recover and he quickly jumped on her again, pinning her to the ground. He growled ever so slightly and lightly clamped down on Ginny's outstretched arm as she attempted to push him off her heaving body. Ginny laughed as she tried to swat the leopard and she almost managed to push Harry off but he shifted into his tiger form and squashed her, ceasing Ginny's struggle with his weight.

"Harry... can't breathe," gasped Ginny. Harry only meowed in amusement before shifting back into the smaller leopard. Ginny was able to sit up, still laughing at Harry's antics. She started to scratch behind Harry's ears, sending shivers of pleasure down Harry's spine. He plopped his head down on Ginny's lap and began to purr loudly, making Ginny laugh again. "Do you like that Harry?" she asked. Harry nodded his head and closed his eyes, letting Ginny continue her ministrations. After about ten minutes of relaxing together, Ginny stood up, dropping Harry's head to the ground unceremoniously with a loud thud. Harry gave Ginny an aggravated look at her before turning back into a human and stretched.

"So you followed me," said Harry. Ginny looked bashful as she stared at the ground.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to intrude on whatever you were doing," replied Ginny. Harry smiled.

"Nah, it's fine. I wasn't doing anything except napping," said Harry dismissively.

"We should probably head back and start packing or Mum'll have a fit," said Ginny as she turned back towards the Burrow.

"Hold on a second." Harry quickly turned into his black direwolf and plopped to the ground on his belly, using his snout to point to his back.

"You want me to ride on your back?" asked Ginny. Harry nodded his head and Ginny jumped onto his back, gripping the long, messy hair on the back of his neck. Harry gave out a loud howl before sprinting back to the Burrow. Despite the direwolf being his largest form, Harry was surprisingly agile as he darted between the trees. Ginny let out a loud whoop of joy as her hair blew in the wind. Soon enough the two were back at the Burrow, but Harry continued running around and bouncing up and down, yipping and barking excitedly. Ginny struggled to hold to Harry's fur, but she was laughing too hard to really care. Harry could see why Sirius enjoyed being a dog so much, but personally Harry thought that being a tiger was better. They were disturbed from their fun when they heard someone shouting at them.

"OI! Mum's gonna be pissed if you two aren't packed so hurry up and stop fluffing around!" shouted Ron from his window. Huffing in annoyance, Ginny slid down from Harry's back as he transformed.

"Thanks for the ride Harry," said Ginny before winking at him and heading inside. Harry blinked. _What?_

oOoOoOo

As Harry had discovered, it was a custom for the Weasley household to be a flurry of chaos before they were set to leave for King's Cross Station. Even with only four kids going to Hogwarts this time around, they still somehow managed to be late. Quickly packing their belongings into the Ministry cars that Mr. Weasley had granted them, everyone bustled in and the cars took off. Harry, Ron, Tonks and Mr. Weasley were in the front car while behind them in the other car sat Hermione, Ginny, Mrs. Weasley and Moony. Arriving at the station, the kids grabbed their trunks and hurried to platform 9 and 3/4. Moony and Tonks went first to scout out for any potential dangers before giving the all clear to move in. Ginny and Ron went first, followed by Hermione and Mrs. Weasley, then Harry and Mr. Weasley. With little time to spare, the kids quickly grabbed a compartment on the Hogwarts Express and stuffed their trunks into the overhead baggage compartments, then headed back outside to say goodbye to the Weasley heads and Moony and Tonks. Mrs. Weasley gave one of her bone-crushing hugs, warning Harry to stay out of trouble. He shook hands with Mr. Weasley, who told Harry to take care of everyone. Harry then hugged Tonks and Moony, telling Tonks to keep an eye on the werewolf. Waving goodbye once more, Harry followed his friends into the compartment they had saved.

Sitting down, Harry let out a puff of air. "Please don't let the start of next year be as hectic," he muttered. Ron and Hermione left soon for their prefect's meeting, leaving Harry and Ginny alone. The two quickly fell into conversation, talking about the Quidditch season this year, exams, who the new DADA teacher might be and Hagrid's latest monsters he might have brought with him. They were soon joined by Neville and Luna Lovegood, and the four began a game of Exploding Snap. As they were about to start their fourth round, Ron and Hermione came back and talked about how the meeting went.

As it had become tradition, Malfoy and his lackeys Crabbe and Goyle came in. In years gone by, Harry was intimidated by the Malfoy's bodyguards, but his year Harry stood almost as tall as them and had muscle of his own to back up his intimidating presence.

"I heard that you were a little cat," sneered Malfoy. Harry only rolled his eyes at the blonde Slytherin.

"What? You couldn't get enough Bat-Bogeys last time?" hissed Ginny. Malfoy only laughed.

"I know spells that could make your little hex look like child's play," scoffed Malfoy. "Why do you hang out with these losers, Weaslette? Still waiting for Potter eh? I can show you how a real wizard can handle his broom," he added suggestively. Ron sprung up to attack Malfoy but Hermione grabbed him.

"How's your dad?" asked Neville, to the surprise of everyone. "The Dementors treating him well?I've heard Azkaban's lovely this time of the year." Everyone laughed at that, though Malfoy looked flustered by Neville's comment.

"No worse than your blood-traitor parents, Longbottom," retorted Malfoy. Neville moved to grab his wand at the same time as Malfoy.

"Enough," growled Harry. Every stopped and stared as Harry stood up and moved face to face with the blonde boy. His growth spurt made Harry tower over Malfoy, although he had to give the Slytherin credit for not backing down.

"Sod off Malfoy, or you'll regret it," said Harry, his voice low and dangerous. Crabbe and Goyle shuffled nervously, but Malfoy didn't get the hint.

"Or what? You think I'm scared of you, Potter? You're gonna get what's coming to you, and it won't be long till you end up just like your Mudblood moth-" he didn't get to finish the insult, because the next thing Malfoy knew was that he was on the ground pinned by a _very_ angry tiger. Harry looked up and snarled at Crabbe and Goyle, who took off running away, abandoning their leader. Harry turned back to look a terrified Malfoy in the eyes and growled menacingly. He sniffed Malfoy and seemed to recoil slightly before releasing and sending the scared Slytherin away. He had to roar at Malfoy to keep him running when he looked back at the tiger, before shifting back, closing the compartment door and sitting across from Ginny again, a smug look on his face.

"That was bloody brilliant!" exclaimed an excited Ron.

"Language Ronald," scolded Hermione before glaring at Harry, who returned an indifferent look. "You really shouldn't have done that Harry."

"Are you kidding me? Malfoy deserved that," retorted Ginny.

"Yes but-" began Hermione.

"But nothing," Ginny cut in. "Malfoy was insulting all of us, and especially Harry's mother. Given the circumstances, I reckon Malfoy should have had his throat ripped out." Harry snorted and sent Ginny an appreciative look, who smiled back at him. Her smile made Harry's stomach do a strange somersault, which left Harry confused. The group fell into silence after that.

"Well, I think I might have been the only one who noticed the suspicious wet patch on Malfoy's pants," said Luna nonchalantly, making everyone burst into fits of laughter.

"So that's what that smell was," added Harry. "I had to let him go quickly because it was hurting my nose." Harry's words only set everyone off again and the group went back to talking and hanging out. Neville and Ron started playing a game of chess while Hermione began reading a Charms book. Luna went back to reading _The Quibbler_ and Harry and Ginny continued playing Exploding Snap. They weren't disturbed until their compartment door opened, revealing a smiling Cho Chang. Harry resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the pretty Asian girl.

"Hi Harry, how was your summer?" asked Cho with what Harry assumed was her attempt at a pretty smile. Last year, that smile would have made Harry sweat profusely and nervous, but now he felt nothing for his ex-girlfriend.

"Er, good I guess, all things considered," replied Harry with a shrug.

"Oh yes, I heard about what happened in Diagon Alley, that was very brave of you," said Cho as she batted her eyelashes. Harry heard Ginny mutter "Oh please," and tried to stifle a snort, but Ginny heard it anyway and winked at Harry. Harry felt his cheeks go red slightly and turned his attention back to Cho, who was scowling at the youngest Weasley.

"Well, it was nice to see you again, maybe we should hang out again sometime," said Cho before walking away, not giving Harry a chance to reply.

"Gosh I thought she'd never leave," said Harry. Ron looked at Harry with a raised eyebrow.

"What? You don't like her anymore?" he asked.

"Nah that ship has sailed," answered Harry easily.

Ron appeared satisfied with Harry's answer, merely nodding and saying "good," while giving Ginny a pointed look. Hermione too was looking between Harry and Ginny like she was figuring something out, which never bode well for , Dean Thomas showed up before Harry could think on Ron and Hermione's staring.

"H-Hey Ginny, can I talk to you for a moment?" he stuttered while glancing at Harry with a fearful expression. Ginny frowned but nodded.

"Sure," she said before following Dean outside. Ron looked to be about to follow his sister but Hermione put a hand on his arm.

"Don't," warned Hermione. "She needs to do this on her own." Harry was of half a mind to follow Ginny himself but knew that his best friend was right. Ginny had to face her own problems sometimes, but that didn't make it any easier for Harry.

She returned not long after with a red face and a scowl. She angrily sat down a let out a loud breath of air. "The nerve of that insufferable git!" she practically screamed. Everyone's attention was turned to her.

"What happened?" demanded Ron, his face as red as his sister's.

"Dean kept trying to convince me that he didn't run away and he wanted to 'try' again. And then Lavender Brown walks in and gets upset because apparently Dean's been seeing her as well!"

"WHAT!" bellowed both Harry and Ron.

"Where is he? I'll choke the life out of him!" shouted Ron. Hermione moved to sit next to her boyfriend to try to calm him down, but Harry was trying to reign in his temper. His eyes blazed with emerald fire at the thought of somebody disrespecting Ginny in such a way. In the time spent with her during the holidays, Harry had grown to care for Ginny in much the same way as he did about Hermione. The mere thought of someone hurting her caused his temper to flare up. After all, she was practically family, wasn't she?

"I swear I'll never date somebody who lies or has too many secrets!" huffed Ginny. That brought Harry up short. He had some secrets that nobody else knew besides Dumbledore. The words of the Prophecy flitted through his mind once more. _"For neither can live while the other survives..."_ Should he tell Ginny and the others about the contents of the Prophecy? And why did he care about Ginny's need for no secrets in a relationship? _Bloody hell, I'm confused_ , thought Harry.

oOoOoOo

The Hogwarts Express arrived at Hogsmeade station just after the sun had fully set behind the mountains to the west. Ron and Hermione hopped off the train first, Followed by Harry who helped Ginny off. They all turned when they heard the familiar call of "Firs' years! Firs' years over here please!" Harry looked over and saw the jolly half-giant Hagrid waving at him and his friends. Harry gave a cheery wave back and led his friends over to the carriages to take them up to Hogwarts. To most people, the carriages looked to be horseless and moved by themselves, but to some, like Harry, they could see who truly pulled the carriages. The thestrals that pulled them were horselike in appearance, but had no fur and their grey skin clung to their skeletons. Their bat-like wings were tucked to the sides, and their milky white eyes seemed to be lifeless. Only those who had seen death and understood its meaning could see the magical creatures. Harry approached the nearest one and petted in on the nose, when the thestral did something strange.

The thestral bent down on its bony front legs and lowered its head, giving it the impression of a servant bowing to their master. Harry's perplexed expression looked over to the carriages behind them and saw the other thestrals staring at Harry whilst bowing as well. Neville walked over to Harry with the same confused expression on his face. "Why are they bowing to you Harry? he asked.

"What's going on?" asked Ron.

"T-The thestrals, they're b-bowing to Harry," said Neville. Other students were giving voice to their confusion and impatience as to why the carriages hadn't moved yet.

"What?" repeated Ron. Harry only looked at Luna, who had that same dreamy expression on her face like always.

"Luna, do you know what's going on?" asked Harry.

"Of course," said Luna in a singsong voice. "The thestrals recognise you as the Protector of the Light."

"What?"

"Oh Harry, you can be so daft sometimes," laughed Luna as she took her seat atop the carriage. Harry looked at Ginny, who only shrugged and joined their strange friend. Harry, Ron, Hermione and Neville joined them but the carriages still didn't move. The thestrals stood up and turned their ugly heads to look at Harry, making him very uncomfortable. He gave Luna a pointed look as to what to do next. "Just tell them to move forward," she encouraged. Harry turned back to look at the thestral's unblinking eyes and took a deep breath.

"Forward," he squeaked and immediately the thestrals all began to canter off towards the castle.

"This day keeps getting weirder," muttered Ron.

oOoOoOo

When they arrived at the front gates of Hogwarts, Harry quickly jumped off the carriage and helped his friends off. Harry's hands lingered a moment longer than necessary on Ginny's arm before he went around to the front of the carriage. He awkwardly thanked the thestral, who nodded its head and towed the carriage away. Harry sighed and cursed the Prophecy and his ancestors for getting him into this mess in the first place, then joined his friends as they entered the entrance hall. The doors to the Great Hall opened as Professor McGonagall pushed her way through the older students to collect the first years. Luna split off from their group to join her fellow Ravenclaws while the other five took their seats. Harry nodded his greeting to Professor Dumbledore as he sat down. Harry was aware of the looks directed towards him and the excited whispers coming particularly from the girls about his physical changes over the summer. He sat across from Ginny while Ron and Hermione sat on either side of him, and Neville joined Ginny.

"Can't somebody else here be famous for once?" cursed Harry as he tried to ignore the stares in his direction.

"They can't help it. First you prove that Voldemort's back and then a few weeks later you nearly bite his arm off," said Ron as if it was the most obvious thing on the planet.

"Oh joy," muttered Harry just as Professor McGonagall walked in carrying a stool and the Sorting Hat with the terrified first years following close behind. The Sorting Hat began it's song, but Harry wasn't paying attention. Instead, his eyes were focussed on the short mousy-blonde woman sitting next to Professor Snape, who was purposely ignoring the new teacher. "That must be the new Defense teacher," said Harry. The other four looked over and saw her as well.

"Snape doesn't look happy," murmured Neville.

"Is he ever? They need to hurry up I'm starving," said Ron grumpily. Harry and Ginny rolled their eyes while Hermione swatted Ron in the arm from around Harry.

"She looks familiar," said Harry. Ginny squinted her eyes and nodded her agreement.

"Yeah, but who?" she asked.

"Dunno, guess we'll find out soon enough." The Sorting Hat finished its song and everyone applauded as Professor McGonagall called up "Adam, Creed". The Sorting Hat sat still for a moment before declaring "GRYFFINDOR." Harry clapped enthusiastically as the shy boy made his way over and sat next to Dennis Creevey. The Sorting took another ten minutes, during which Ron's grumblings about being hungry grew louder and louder. Finally the Sorting was finished when "Woolley, Morgan" was placed in Hufflepuff and Dumbledore stood up.

"I have only two things to say to you all before the feast begins," said Dumbledore. "Tuck and In." With his words piles of food magically appeared on the table. Hermione almost lurched at Ron's tenacious attack on the food in front of him, while Ginny and Neville only laughed. They were well into the feast when Hermione tapped Harry on the shoulder.

"Wha'?" said Harry through a mouthful of food.

"Are you going to have any vegetables?" asked Hermione in an annoyed tone. Harry swallowed and glowered at Hermione.

"What are you talking about I've got plenty of..." Harry looked at his plate and realised that his plate was loaded with nothing but steak, pork and chicken. There was no salad or potatoes anywhere to be seen. "Er..." stuttered Harry.

"Honestly Harry you need to have a balanced diet," scolded Hermione as she piled some salad onto Harry's plate. Harry shrugged and took a bite of the lettuce, and instantly spat it out in disgust.

"This tastes horrible!" shouted Harry.

"What are you talking about it's fine," said Harry.

"It's awful," moaned Harry. Ginny's face lit up then.

"Maybe it's part of his shape shifting?" she suggested. "Harry's forms are carnivores aren't they? So he can't eat plants." Hermione looked thoughtful.

"But I was eating just fine yesterday," said Harry.

"Maybe it's just started today?" said Ginny.

"No, some of Harry's forms have been known to eat plants on occasion," said Hermione. "I'll have to do more research."

"Thanks a lot Harry. How am I supposed to spend time with my girlfriend now?" groaned Ron.

"Oh shut up," said Hermione.

With yet another revelation about Harry's abilities, the group continued eating. Harry was able to eat dessert - _praise Merlin!_ \- and by the end of the feast Harry was happily full. The dishes cleared as Dumbledore stood up for his start-of-year speech.

"Welcome students to another year at Hogwarts! I trust your holidays have been enjoyable despite these dark times," he began. "Firstly, I would like to extend a warm welcome to our newest teacher, who is also an Auror for the Ministry of Magic. So please, a round of applause for our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Tonks!" Harry and his friends gasped at the revelation, but quickly recovered and were the loudest students clapping and cheering for their friend. Tonks stood up and took a bow as her head turned red with embarrassment before she sat down quickly and spilt a goblet of pumpkin juice all over Snape's robes. Snape hissed angrily at Tonks while Harry, Ron and Ginny howled with laughter.

"A reminder that the Forbidden Forest located on the edge of the school grounds is just as the name suggests; forbidden." Harry was sure Dumbledore was staring at him and his friends when he said that. "Also our caretaker, Mr. Argus Filch has added some more items onto the list of those banned at Hogwarts, including the entire stock of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes." Harry and Ginny snickered at that, knowing full well that they had brought some of the twin's products for 'field testing purposes.' "For information on this year's upcoming Quidditch tryouts, please see either your Head of House or Quidditch House Captain." Dumbledore paused and surveyed the student body.

"There is a new club that is officially starting this year, led by our very own Harry Potter." Dumbledore motioned for Harry to stand up, which he reluctantly did. "Mister Potter is running an extra defense program for advanced Defensive spells and dueling techniques. For more information please see Mister Potter and his friends. Dark times lie ahead. At the end of last term it was confirmed that lord Voldemort has indeed returned." He ignored the sudden gasps of Dumbledore's casual use of the name, while Harry groaned at their cowardice. "Voldemort and his Death Eaters thrive on fear and disunity, striking when we least expect it, as demonstrated several weeks ago at the attack on Diagon Alley. I urge you to remain loyal to your friends and stay brave in the face of danger, for Voldemort will surely exploit them. Remain focussed on your studies and keep your friends close, for surely what you have learned could save the life of you and your loved ones. Now on that note it is getting late. First years please find your House prefects and they will lead you to your common rooms. Now off to bed with all of you."

Dismissed, everyone stood up and began to file out of the Great Hall. Ron and Hermione disappeared to take the first years and Neville left with Seamus Finnegan and Dean Thomas, leaving Harry and Ginny alone together. The two followed the crowd up to Gryffindor Tower and gave the Fat Lady the password ("Chudley Cannons"), then entered the warm confines of the common room.

"Remind me not to let Ron make the password again," said Ginny with a smirk.

Harry smirked back at the petite redhead. "Could have been worse, it could have been 'Hermione'," he said. Ginny and Harry laughed and Ginny put her hand on Harry's arm. Harry could feel the warmth of her hand spreading from his arm though his whole body, and his heart sped up. _What are you doing to me?_ Harry thought. Ginny's chocolate brown eyes locked on to Harry's and he could hear her heart speeding up as well.

"Goodnight Harry," she whispered, then let go of his arm and headed up the stairs leading to the girls' dormitory. Harry stood there for a moment as others brushed past him to bed, staring at where Ginny had vanished. When it seemed that Harry was the last one in the common room, Harry heard two hearts beating behind him. He turned around and saw Ron and Hermione staring at him with smug looks on their faces.

"What?" he growled to his best friends. Hermione shrugged but said nothing and went up the girls' dormitory. Ron came over to Harry an patted him on the shoulder.

"Don't worry, you'll both figure it out eventually," said Ron as he pushed Harry up the stairs to the sixth-year boys' room. _Figure out what?_

Harry moved towards his bed and grabbed a towel and his tooth brush. He had a quick shower and brushed his teeth then went back to his bed and dressed into his pajamas. Lying down on his bed, Harry stared up the the top cover of his four poster bed.

"Goodnight Ginny," he whispered before turning to his side and going to sleep.

In the bed next to him, Ron smiled.


	7. Chapter 7- The Voice in the Wind

_A/N- Thanks for the reviews guys! See end of chapter for more notes._

 **Chapter 7- The Voice in the Wind**

"ARGH THERE'S A TIGER IN THE ROOM!"

Harry awoke instantly and shot his head up into the air, looking for the source of the noise. Ron had fallen off his bed in fright from the screaming and was rubbing his bleary eyes. Neville had instantly shot up and drawn his wand, searching for the culprit. Dean was nowhere to be found. But Seamus was pointing at Harry with pure terror etched into his face. Harry looked at the poor Irish boy in confusion until he saw Ron and Neville start laughing.

"Harry, you accidentally shifted," laughed Ron. Harry looked down and sure enough, his hands were replaced with giant furry paws. Then Harry noticed that the bed was creaking loudly, struggling to hold up his three-hundred and fifty kilograms of fur and muscle. Harry groaned playfully and shifted back into his human form before he too began to laugh. Seamus grabbed his towel and stormed off grumpily to the bathroom.

"I thought he knew about my ability?" asked Harry when he calmed down.

"I think he's a lot more cautious about what the _Daily Prophet_ says these days after last year," replied Ron.

"Probably," said Harry. He changed into his school robes then headed downstairs with Ron and found Hermione and Ginny waiting for them. Ron's face broke into a goofy smile and he gave Hermione a long kiss on the lips. Behind them, Ginny pretended to gag and Harry had to stifle a laugh. Breaking off, Hermione gave Harry and Ron a curious look.

"We saw Seamus come down earlier and he looked to be in a bad mood. You wouldn't have something to do with that, would you?" she asked. Harry and Ron started snickering.

"Not intentionally," said Harry. Hermione folded her arms across her chest and raised her eyebrows at them.

"Let's just say that Seamus isn't a cat person," iterated Ron.

"You didn't attack him did you?" gasped Hermione. Harry's eyes widened. _That was seriously the first thing that came to her mind?_

"Oh no not at all! I just accidentally shifted in my sleep and Seamus woke up to see a big hairy tiger sleeping where I should have been. I think he thought I ate myself," said Harry, trying to placate his bushy-haired friend. She narrowed her eyes at Harry but before she could say anything else Ron grabbed her by the arm and pulled her towards the portrait hole. That left Harry with Ginny, not that he minded of course.

The foursome made their way into the Great Hall and sat down for breakfast. Once again Harry piled his plate up with the meats available and dug in carelessly. Even Ron was surprised by how much Harry was eating. Before everyone else had finished their first plate Harry was on to his second, followed closely by Ron.

"Well at least Mum doesn't have to worry about Harry not eating," muttered Ginny. Harry looked up and grinned at the redheaded girl and she blushed lightly.

Professor McGonagall came over to the Gryffindor table and started handing out the term's timetables. When she got to the Golden Trio (now Quadro, as Harry had heard on the train the day before), she gave them a stern look.

"Mr. Potter, I would like a word with you concerning your transformation sometime in the near future," she said as she handed Harry his timetable. Harry nodded his head and told her he'd be there as soon as he could and the Transfiguration teacher continued onward. Harry already knew what Hermione was going to ask before she said anything.

"I think she wants to know if I'd been training over the holidays to be an Animagus," he said.

"But you're not an Animagus," said Ron bluntly. The other three rolled their eyes at Ron's thickheadedness.

"Yes we know that but no one else does." Harry leaned in closer to his friends. "Do you think I should tell her what I really am?" Ron and Ginny looked thoughtful but Hermione was quick to answer.

"I think you should. She probably knows more about this stuff than we do," said Hermione.

"Plus we know we can trust her," added Ron.

"I think you should tell her," said Ginny. Harry nodded his head and decided he would tell Professor McGonagall the truth, then looked at his timetable. Charms was first up, followed by double Defense and Potions, then Care of Magical Creatures was last before dinner. There were several slots on his timetable which were for extra Defense lessons by his mentors, but he also had some free periods which Harry decided were for physical training and practicing his shape shifting in the Room of Requirement.

"Charms first," said Harry. He stood up and grabbed his bag and slung it over his shoulder. Ron, Hermione and Ginny joined him and they left the Great Hall. Ginny broke off from them to head for CoMC near Hagrid's hut, while the other three headed for the Charms classroom on the Third Floor. The Gryffindors were combined with the Hufflepuffs for Charms, which Harry thought was infinitely better than the Slytherins.

Professor Flitwick, the short excitable Charms professor who Harry was quite fond of, welcomed the sixth-year students and explained they would be learning how to do non-verbal spells for the majority of the first term. Harry was excited, as Moony had been teaching him a lot about the subject throughout the summer. Though it was mainly for Defensive spell work, Harry was confident that the theory behind it was much the same.

To his and everyone else's surprise, Harry was the first to successfully cast a non-verbal summoning Charm, the cushion he was trying to summon flying into his outstretched hand on the first try. Professor Flitwick squeaked excitedly and congratulated Harry on his efforts and asked him if he would like to walk around the classroom and help anyone who might have been struggling. Hermione looked livid that he had beaten her, but Harry only grinned at her in response.

Harry spent most the the remaining lesson helping Neville out, and by the end of the lesson Neville's cushion had twitched a few times. Though it wasn't much, Neville looked as though Harry had given him the world. The thought of Neville's gratitude touched Harry's heart.

Harry was looking forward to DADA, now that he knew who the new teacher was. Harry was confident that Tonks would make an excellent teacher, having had first hand experience. When he walked into the classroom Harry and Ron both groaned. They were with the Slytherins. Malfoy looked just as annoyed at the prospect of having to spend yet another year with the Gryffindors, but Harry was determined to not let the ferret bother him. Harry, Ron and Hermione took the middle seat closest to the front just as Tonks walked in. Her hair was back to its usual spiky pink and she gave the Trio a wink right before she tripped over a stack of books on the floor. Brushing herself off, her hair turned red with embarrassment, causing several kids to gasp and murmur amongst themselves.

"Welcome to Defense Against the Dark Arts. As you already know, my name is Professor Tonks but since I hate formalities you can just call me Tonks," began the metamorphmagus. "Yes, I am an Auror and a metamorphmagus and it's my job this year to teach you how to defend yourselves in the coming war."

Malfoy rolled his eyes and muttered to Pansy Parkinson "We should be learning how to attack not defend." Unfortunately for him, Tonks heard him.

"Ah, cousin Draco! How about you come up here and give us a demonstration of your offensive capabilities if you're so confident?" she asked, gesturing to the space in front of the teacher's desk. Shrugging, Malfoy stood up and drew his wand, while Harry and Ron leaned forward on their desks. Oh, how they were going to enjoy this.

Draco began with a quick Stunning Spell, which Tonks casually blocked. She blocked the next round of curses just as easily, and everyone could see that Malfoy was getting frustrated. His curses kept getting more and more Dark, but Tonks remained calm and unflinching towards her cousin's attack. Not for the first time, Harry wondered if Tonk's clumsiness was just an act. Seemingly getting bored with the duel, Tonks went on the offensive and in ten seconds flat, Malfoy was knocked out by a powerful Stunning Spell. Tonks walked over and revived him with a quick " _Rennervate_ ," and sent him back to his desk.

"Fighting against the Dark Arts isn't just about knowing a whole bunch of spells. You also have to know the difference between winning and living to fight another day," said Tonks, giving Malfoy a pointed look. "Today however, I want you to think _outside the box._ You will all get into pairs and duel each other, with the focus of doing something unexpected to throw off your opponent." With that, everyone split off into pairs while Tonks waved her wand and the chairs and desks flew and stacked neatly on the sides of the large classroom, creating more room for everyone. Ron and Hermione immediately settled with each other, and Harry was about to move towards Neville when someone stopped him. He turned around and saw a smirking Tonks with her hand on his shoulder. "Oh no, Harry. You're with me," she said slyly. Despite Harry knowing he could beat her one-on-one, it didn't stop him from gulping in fear.

Drawing their wands, Harry and Tonks traded hexes and curses. They both blocked them easily, then the duel became more fierce. Harry held back mostly to give the young Auror a chance, instead relying on his physical training to dodge and weave around the curses thrown at him. Tonks and he were both laughing throughout the duel, trading insults at each other good-naturedly. Harry quickly got bored and decided to do what was expected of him, do the unexpected. So he ran straight at Tonks and transformed into his direwolf form and tackled a surprised Tonks to the ground. Harry heard somebody shriek at the sudden appearance of a massive black wolf but he ignored them. He lowered his head and bared his fangs just above Tonks' head, then barked and licked her on the cheek with his massive tongue. Tonks laughed and wiped the drool off her face with the sleeve of her shirt and smirked at Harry.

"Well I certainly wasn't expecting that," she said. "But sorry, I'm not your type. Although I know a certain someone who might be." Tonks then closed her eyes and her hair turned a fiery red with gold streaks and her nose and cheeks became splattered in freckles. Harry shot up as Tonks' face was replaced with an exact replica of Ginny's. Harry was grateful that his face was covered in black fur, for he was sure that he was blushing redder than a tomato. Tonks then shot a Stunning Spell at Harry and it smacked him straight in the chest, pushing him back, but not knocking him out. She fired off several more Stunners and this time Harry went down, his mind fading to black.

When he woke up, Harry realised he was back in his human form. He sat up and glared at a grinning Tonks.

"That was cruel," he muttered. Tonks only shook her head.

"You're the one who nearly ate me," she fired back.

"Touché," said Harry. Tonks then fired some red sparks into the air, drawing the attention of the rest of the class.

"Well done everybody! I'm glad to see some people have bright imaginations!" she exclaimed happily. The bell rang for lunch then and everyone began to pack up their things. "Now hold on just a minute, you still have homework that needs to be assigned." Everyone froze. Then Tonks started laughing. "Just kidding. I don't give homework on the first day back at school. Now off you go!" Everyone breathed a sigh of relief as they left, though Hermione looked quite put out at having no homework from Tonks.

Ron and Hermione both lightly teased Hermione all the way to the Great Hall for lunch. Harry saw Ginny already there, chatting happily with Colin Creevey. She looked up and gave Harry a warm smile before she returned to her conversation with Colin. Once again Harry's stomach did a flip flop when he saw her smile, and once again he was left confused.

The three friends ate and talked heartily about anything and everything until it was time for the next lesson. Ron split off from the other two to go to Divination, while Harry and Hermione went downstairs to the dungeons for Double Potions. They were the only two Gryffindors to make it to N.E.W.T. level Potions. With them was Ernie Macmillan, Susan Bones and Justin Finch-Fletchley of Hufflepuff, Malfoy, Blaise Zabini, Pansy Parkinson (surprisingly) and Daphne Greengrass of Slytherin and two Ravenclaws who's names Harry never bothered to learn.

The Potions classroom door was opened and the students filed in with Harry and Hermione sitting together at a bench in the middle. Professor Slughorn came into the classroom belly-first and smiled happily at the class.

"Welcome to N.E.W.T. level Potions!" said Slughorn. He then gave the usual speech on N.E.W.T.'s and it's vitality for the students' future ambitions. He then gave a wave of his wand and instructions on making the Draught of Living Death, but before the class started, Slughorn led them over to a bench with several cauldrons of potions sitting atop of it. Slughorn explained how to identify some potions by their smell and invited the students to take a whiff of a batch of Amortentia, the most powerful love potion created. Slughorn explained that the potion smelled differently for each person as it reminds each individual of the things they find most attractive. For Harry, it smelled of treacle tart, the woody scent of a broomstick handle, and the scent of wildflowers that reminded Harry of the Burrow and Ginny.

Afterwards the class began the brewing of the Draught of Living Death. Harry had to sit out for a few minutes as the overpowering scent began to overload his enhanced senses. Hermione stared at him in concern while Slughorn looked almost disappointed in him. Malfoy appeared smug until Harry grew his teeth into fangs and growled at the slimy git. Slughorn gave Harry an exemption for the rest of the lesson and praised Hermione for her efforts, which earned some glares from the two Ravenclaws. _Well at least I won't be alone at the Slug Club_ , thought Harry.

oOoOoOo

Harry sucked in a deep breath of fresh air as he, Ron and Hermione stepped outside of Hogwarts, glad to be free of the stifling confines of the dungeons and its sickening scents. He practically pranced over to Hagrid's hut, his two best friends following behind him. They were the first to arrive at the hut, though behind them other students could be seen making their way over as well. Neville was the first to join them and looked positively terrified of what dangerous monster Hagrid would be showing them today.

Hagrid stepped out of his hut when the rest of the class joined them and cheerfully waved them over to a fenced paddock similar to the one Buckbeak stayed in, albeit larger. Harry could also pick up trace amounts of magic forming a dome over the paddock. _What kind of monster has Hagrid brought that needs magical wards to secure it?!_

"Alrigh' yeh lot! I go' a real treat fer yeh today!" said Hagrid happily. Everyone shuffled on their feet nervously, knowing full well that their version of treat didn't exactly coincide with Hagrid's. Hagrid gave a high-pitched whistle and vaulted over the fence with surprising grace for such a large man. Several students let out a gasp as Hagrid led what Harry initially thought was another hippogriff over, but realised his mistake.

The creature was almost twice the size of Buckbeak, with golden-brown wings and feathers. Though its head, chest and forelimbs were of an eagle, its back, hind legs and tail were completely lion. Its fur was the same colour of its feathers, practically shimmering in the afternoon sunlight. Its great yellow eyes shone with an intelligence Harry had never seen in an animal, magical or otherwise. Its front legs ended in wicked black talons longer than short swords and its brown beak was just as sharp. Its hind legs muscles rippled with every movement and its tail flicked from side to side. On top of its feathered head were pointed ears covered in short feathers.

"Is that a griffin?!" screeched Hermione.

"Sure is, Hermione," said Hagrid, looking quite pleased with himself.

"But Hagrid, the Ministry has labeled them Class XXXXX," said Hermione. "They're incredibly dangerous even by your standards."

"What did you expect from the oaf?" sneered Malfoy, earning some laughs from the other students. Harry glared at even, his eyes flashing dangerously. Everyone including Malfoy shut up and focussed back on Hagrid.

"Erm, well yes," said Hagrid uncomfortably. "Anyway, griffins are incredibly rare and quite large." The griffin shrieked its agreement, extending its massive wings. Hagrid continued talking to the class about the griffin, but Harry wasn't listening. Instead, his emerald eyes had locked on to the griffin's yellow eyes, a strange sort of silent communication happening between them. The griffin then slowly bowed its head towards Harry, never taking its eyes off his. Several other people saw it and started whispering excitedly, which drew Hagrid's attention.

"He seems ter like yeh, Harry," said Hagrid. Harry continued staring at the griffin but acknowledged Hagrid's comment. "Well, how 'bout yeh climb on over an' have a pet?" Before Harry could respond, Hagrid reached over the fence, grabbed harry around the shoulders and hoisted him up and over the fence. Harry shivered slightly as he passed through the wards, then was clumsily dropped to his feet by the happy half-giant.

"Now be careful Harry. Griffins are right dangerous creatures even by my standards,"warned Hagrid. Harry nodded and slowly approached the griffin. He tentatively stretched a hand out and stroked the top of the griffin's bound head, surprised by the softness of the feathers. The griffin made a strange noise that sounded like a cross between a cluck and a purr as Harry scratched behind its feathery ears. Harry couldn't help but marvel at the sheer size and power that radiated off the griffin. The top of Harry's head could barely reach the huge creatures chest, making even the direwolf inside him feel small. The tiger in him, however, relished the opportunity and tried to force itself out. The griffin seemed to be egging the tiger onwards somehow as well.

Harry looked back at his classmates and gave a small grin before shifting into his tiger form. Most of the other kids gasped in wonder at seeing Harry's powers firsthand, though Ron and Hermione only smiled nervously. The griffin squawked and rose up on his hind legs, flapping its wings. The tiger backed off slightly from the much larger creature, avoiding its sweeping talons. Hermione screamed for Harry to run while Hagrid ran over to subdue the griffin, but Harry roared a warning for his old friend to back off. Harry knew that the griffin was startled by his transformation, so he used his empathic powers to try to calm the beast. He was shocked to feel the intelligence the griffin possessed, being way smarter than any other animal Harry had met. The griffin was almost immediately soothed by harry's efforts, and it trotted over to Harry and nudged him with its big head. _No, not an it, a he,_ thought Harry. Harry reached out with his mind again to find more information on the griffin, and was surprised to find he had a name. _Talonwing._ And he knew something about Harry.

Harry played with the much larger animal for a few minutes while Hagrid continued on with the lesson. He learned that griffins were extremely rare magical creatures and notoriously hard to kill. They were considered to be one of the smartest magical creatures on the planet, capable of solving puzzles and almost always outsmarted their prey, even humans. A group of griffins were called a pride, named after a pride of lions.

Harry slowly shifted back to human form so he wouldn't distress Talonwing again and slowly backed away and vaulting over the fence to join his classmates. Hagrid gave him a supportive smile while other students congratulated Harry. The bell signaling the end of classes for the day rang soon after and Hagrid gave them a foot and a half essay to complete on the griffin's intelligence. As Harry was packing up his bag Hagrid pulled him to the side. Hermione and Ron looked ready to wait for him but Harry waved them off, telling them he'd meet them in the common room later.

"Tha' was some great work yeh did today Harry," said a beaming Hagrid. Harry smiled shyly at his oldest friend.

"Thanks Hagrid," replied Harry honestly. Hagrid looked thoughtful for a moment.

"How would yeh like ter be meh assistant this year?" asked Hagrid. Of all the things Hagrid could have said, this was the last thing Harry was expecting.

"What?" said Harry stupidly.

Hagrid let out a booming laugh. "I'm serious, I need someone like yeh to help meh with the animals. It's not ev'ry day someone tames a griffin," he said seriously. Harry thought for a moment. It would certainly be easier for Harry and provide more opportunities to be outside and practice shifting into his other forms, plus he would get to spend more time with Hagrid.

"I'll have to check my schedule," decided Harry. "I don't have much time time available this year but I'll see what I can do." Hagrid beamed and clapped Harry on the back heartily, almost sending him tumbling to the ground. Harry waved and said farewell to his friend before slinging his bag over his shoulder and walking back up to the castle. as he was about to walk into the castle a light breeze blew past Harry.

" _Harry,"_ said a voice. Harry looked around but saw nobody nearby. Confused, Harry shrugged his shoulders and continued onwards.

Harry found his friends sitting by the fire in the common room studying. To his right, he noticed Ginny studying with a group of kids in her year. He was of half a mind to join them but decided that she and her friends were probably studying for their O.W.L.'s and thought it best not to disturb them. So instead he walked over and sat in the armchair that he was convinced belonged to him, seeing as he was always sitting in it when he was studying. He pulled out some parchment, his ink bottle and a quill and started his CoMC essay. Nearly an hour later, Harry was almost completed his essay when someone opened a window and a cool breeze flitted through when he heard it again.

" _Harry,"_ somebody whispered again.

"What?" asked Harry, looking at Ron.

"What?" echoed Ron.

"You said my name."

"No I didn't."

Harry looked at Hermione. "Did you?"

Hermione looked at him with a perplexed look. "Nobody said your name Harry," she said.

Harry frowned. "I swear somebody said-"

" _Harry..."_

Harry stood up and looked around the common room. "There it was again. did you hear it?" Both of his friends shook their heads. Harry looked at Ginny then and scowled. She must be pulling some prank on him. He stomped over to Ginny and her friends and folded his arms across his broad chest. She didn't seem to notice him until Colin Creevey nusged her with his elbow. She looked up at Harry and smiled that dazzling smile that kept giving Harry weird feelings in his gut.

"Can I help you Harry?" she asked politely. Wasn't he supposed to be telling her off for something? Then he remembered.

"Very funny Ginny, you can drop the act now," said Harry.

Ginny looked at him in confusion. "Huh?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "I know you're the one saying my name," he pointed out.

"Harry I have no idea what you're talking about," replied Ginny. Not believing her, Harry listened for her heartbeat. No increased heart rate.

"Then who was?"

Ginny giggled at Harry's confusion. "I have no idea what's going on but you really need to sort it out," she teased. Smiling bashfully, Harry apologized and went back to Ron and Hermione. The wind blew again and this time, Harry heard more than just his name.

" _Harry... find us... you know where to look..."_

Harry raced over to the open window.

" _Find us..."_

The wind was speaking to him, Harry realised. Who could do that? Voldemort? Unlikely, the voice sounded far to kind and genuine for Voldemort to pull off. Confused yet again, Harry followed his friends out of Gryffindor Tower for dinner.

 _A/N- Anyone know who the voice might belong to? No? Ok then. Well anyway thanks guys and don't forget to R &R!_


	8. Chapter 8- Helping a Friend

**Chapter 8- Helping a Friend**

The first week back at Hogwarts passed with little to no incident for Harry after the strange events in the common room, though Harry swore to give Sirius an earful when he passed on. He had told Harry that sixth year was the best year, being the year between O.W.L.'s and N.E.W.T.'s, they could relax easy and were old enough to explore the wonders of teenage life but also get away with more. Oh how he was wrong. Homework was piling up all around them and Harry had hardly any spare time for anything. He hadn't had time to set up a date for the first DA session, but had adjusted the coins given to the previous year's students who attended to keep an eye out for the first session and to spread the word.

Every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon was spent training with Moony, Tonks, Kingsley and Alastor Moody. After dinner on Mondays Harry would train in Martial Arts with Tonks. He was certain he was getting better as their sparring matches would last a little longer each time and he was actually able to land some blows to Tonks. Harry had also started assisting Hagrid in his lessons, though he preferred to spend time in one of his animal forms and play with the magical creatures, whilst spending time practicing shifting into new forms. Hagrid didn't mind as it seemed that Harry's mere presence calmed even the most aggressive of creatures.

Harry's saving grace was when Professor McGonagall approached Harry and informed him that she had booked the Quidditch pitch for tryouts. And so, on the Saturday evening, second week back, Harry was standing in the middle of the Quidditch pitch with Ron and Katie Bell on either side of him. Jack Sloper and Andrew Kirke had unfortunately refused to stay on the team at the end of last year, leaving both Beater positions open. In front of him were what Harry supposed was an angry mob of Gryffindor Quidditch hopefuls. Already he had to send away a group of Ravenclaws away who had tried to sneak into practice just to be around the Boy-Who-Lived and break up a fight between two second years who were fighting over one of the school brooms. And yet when it was time for the tryouts to begin, nobody was standing at attention except for Ginny, who was trying out for Chaser this year.

"Er, excuse me," said Harry. Nobody heard him. Harry looked behind him and saw Ron and Katie trying to suppress their mirth at seeing their fearless captain struggle to contain the mob. He glared at the both of them before turning his attention back. "Excuse me but-"

"OI SHUT IT!" bellowed Ginny. Immediately all the other kids stopped their bickering and focussed on Harry. A few of the kids standing closer to Ginny shuffled away from the angry redhead to avoid her fury. Harry shot her a grateful look and mouthed "thank you."

"Alright welcome to the Gryffindor Quidditch tryouts," began Harry. "Er... we'll start by doing some basic drills which will be led by Katie and then afterward we'll get you to split off into whatever position you want to play in. So, let's get on with it."

It was obvious that as soon as they took to the air that most of the kids there had never ridden a broom in their life. Some of the more giggly girls ran straight to the stands and sat down, giggling and swooning over Harry, much to his- and strangely -Ginny's annoyance. Harry finally had enough of the mucking around, and summoning the tiger, gave everyone a good telling off.

"IF YOU'RE ONLY HERE TO HANG OUT WITH ME BECAUSE YOU THINK I'M THE BLOODY CHOSEN ONE YOU CAN SOD OFF! I'M NOT LOOKING FOR A GIRLFRIEND I'M LOOKING FOR PEOPLE WHO ACTUALLY WANT THE QUIDDITCH CUP TO STAY IN PROFESSOR MCGONAGALL'S OFFICE!" he roared, a distinctive growl in his voice. Some of the kids seemed mollified and quickly left the pitch another group of girls led by Romilda Vane, who Hermione had told Harry that she was plotting to use a love love potion on him, merely giggled annoyingly and went to sit on the stands as well. Ginny was attempting to burn a hole in the back of Romilda's head with her eyes, much to Harry's amusement. Harry then led the remaining kids through the drills, then flew back down to the grass.

"Alright, we'll get you to split off into your preferred positions. Chasers will go with Katie and Ron, where you will attempt some plays and try to score against Ron, while Beaters will come with me." Harry had enough experience with the twins to understand how the Beaters were supposed to play and decided to act as the target for them to practice on. Just before he took off into the air again on his Firebolt, Harry was pulled aside by a burly seventh-year by the name of Cormac McLaggen.

"Potter, I want to play Chaser and Beater, so how is this going to work?" demanded the arrogant seventh-year. Harry was instantly put on guard. McLaggen was one of those kids who walked around like they owned everything and Harry was instantly reminded of Malfoy, and he really didn't want someone like _that_ on his team.

"You either try out for Chaser or Beate. If you have a problem with that you can take it up with Professor McGonagall," replied Harry firmly. Harry saw the look of annoyance sparked in McLaggen's eyes, but it passed at quickly as it came. Huffing, McLaggen took to the air to follow the Chasers. Harry shook his head and flew up to meet the awaiting Beater hopefuls. He showed them some basic drills and then conjured some floating targets to aim at. Some of the kids were completely hopeless and didn't hit a single target, but two boys showed promise. Richie Coote and Jimmy Peakes were definitely naturals, though they were still far from the abilities that Fred and George possessed at the end of their careers. Still, Harry was certain that these two boys would be the next Gryffindor Beaters.

Harry finished his drills and sent the Beaters on their way before flying over to watch the Chaser trials. This group showed more promise than the abysmal show from the Beaters, though it was obvious that one girl was definitely on the team.

Ginny was a natural on the broom, ducking and diving and performing corkscrews around the other players as she propelled herself towards the hoops. Harry couldn't help but have his full attention drawn to her as she launched the ball towards the middle hoop, scoring against a red-faced Ron. Harry cheered for Ginny from up above and was rewarded with a dazzling smile, tying his stomach into knots. Harry had felt a familiar sensation last year, he vaguely remembered. But where?

Pulling his gaze away from Ginny, Harry tried to focus on the others. Admittedly, McLaggen was a talented player, but Harry would only add him to the roster as a last resort. There was another girl who Harry thought might have been in the same year as Ginny, Demelza Robbins, who was an agile player and fairly accurate as well. Harry called up Coote and Peakes and asked them to try aiming for some of the Chasers with the Bludgers, but to not hit too hard. Ginny and Demelza were excellent at dodging the Bludgers while remaining focussed on the Quaffle and hoops and worked well with Katie. McLaggen, on the other hand, was simply too large to avoid the Bludgers on time and got struck several times. Harry couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.

After another twenty minutes of drills Harry blew his whistle and called his teammates over into a huddle.

"So who do we want?" asked Harry.

"Ginny," said Katie immediately. "She's by far the best here, though Robbins' will be top notch once we get her up to speed."

"Agreed. We'll have Ginny and Demelza as our new Chasers, and honestly I don't want McLaggen on our team." Everyone involuntarily shivered at the mention of the git.

"Coote and Peakes were the only good Beaters from what I saw," said Ron.

"Yeah, but they're not quite the twins," quipped Katie.

"I don't think anyone can be as good as them, but they're the best we've got," said Harry. Ron and Katie nodded their agreements. "Alright, so we're agreed on Ginny and Demelza as Chasers and Coote and Peakes for Beaters?"

"Yeah, but add Ginny in as reserve Seeker, we all know you're gonna end up in the hospital wing sooner or later," said Ron with a smirk on his face.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Fine, if it helps you sleep better." Harry broke the huddle and called over the waiting group. "Alright, so we have decided on our newest players! We'd like to welcome Ginny Weasley and Demelza Robbins as our new Chasers and Richie Coote and Jimmy Peakes for our Beaters. Ginny will also be our reserve Seeker in case I end up in the hospital wing again." there was scattered laughter around the crowd. "We apologise to our other attendees today, but we thank you for trying out nonetheless." Some of those didn't make it left the pitch with disapoointed looks, while others seemed indifferent about not making the team. Ginny ran over and engulfed Harry in a strong hug, which Harry didn't hesitate to return.

"Thanks Harry," she whispered in his ear. Her breath made the hair on the back of Harry's neck shoot up and he had to suppress a shiver. Harry let go of her and grinned.

"We could only have the best for Gryffindor," he replied. Ginny smiled and went over to hug her brother.

"OI POTTER!" Harry turned around and groaned at the sight of a furious McLaggen pacing towards him clutching a Beater's bat. The two stood barely a foot apart from each other, trying to stare the other down. "I want to try out for Beater," spat McLaggen.

"Sorry, you had your chance to choose but you decided to try out for Chaser," Harry calmly replied, resisting the urge to strangle the git.

"You only let Weasley into your team because she's your girlfriend!" screeched McLaggen. Harry was taken aback by that. Girlfriend? Is that what people thought of their budding friendship?

"I chose Ginny because she was the best here tonight, and she didn't let herself get hit by any Bludgers, unlike you," snarled Harry. It didn't escape anyone's notice that Harry didn't deny McLaggen's accusations of Harry and Ginny in a relationship, including the mentioned girl herself.

If he were smart, McLaggen would have known that was the time to back away, as everyone could see the magic rolling off him in wave from his flaring temper. McLaggen however, was too blinded by his own rage and took a step closer to Harry.

"Give me the Beater's spot, or you'll regret it," hissed McLaggen.

"Are you threatening me?" said Harry.

"McLaggen, I wouldn't..." started Ginny.

"Shut up bitch! Did you have to get into Potter's pants to make the team?" yelled McLaggen. The next thing he knew, McLaggen was laid out on the ground, his nose crooked and bleeding. Harry stepped over him and bent down.

"You ever talk to her or anyone like that again, and you'll be helping me look after Hagrid's pets," warned Harry, his eyes blazing with emerald fury. McLaggen looked frightened and vigorously nodded his head before standing up and stepping away from Harry. All of a sudden a stream of yellow light shot past Harry's head and smacked McLaggen in the face. Then winged, bloodied bogeys flew out of his nose and attacked the boy, chasing him out of the pitch and up the castle. Harry spun around and saw Ginny with her wand raised and a hard look on her face.

"Git," she muttered, then burst out laughing. Harry, Ron and Katie joined her then made their way to the changing rooms before heading back to the castle for dinner.

oOoOoOo

The next day Harry was training with Moony and Tonks. Tonks was confident that Harry had learned everything she and the other Aurors could teach him, and were practicing their Martial Arts. Harry noted that Moony was looking more tired than usual and his eyes had a yellowish tinge to them. Harry called for a break and approached the Marauder.

"Full moon's soon," said Harry offhandedly. Moony shrugged.

"I'm used to it now," he replied. Harry looked at his friend with something akin to pity. Then Harry had an idea.

"That doesn't mean you have to do it alone," he said. Moony looked at him in shock.

"No, you'll only be in more danger," pleaded Moony. Harry only laughed, which was becoming more common for the usually brooding teenager. _Ginny's been good for him_ , thought Moony. _Even if he doesn't know it yet._

"You forget that I have an army of carnivores at my disposal Uncle Moony." By the look on Moony's face, Harry could tell that he hadn't even thought of that. Moony's yellowing eyes became glassy with tears.

"You would do that for me?" choked out Moony.

"Of course. You would have done the same for me."

Moony pulled Harry into an embrace. "That's the same thing your father said to me when he found out," he whispered.

"Runs in the family I guess," joked Harry. Moony let go of him and smiled proudly. Tonks was beaming at the two as well.

"I'll talk to Professor Dumbledore about it. We'll meet at the Shrieking Shack if he allows it," said Moony. "By the way, has Dumbledore come to you about your ability?" he asked.

"No he hasn't. I'm quite surprised about that actually. I think he must have already known about it, which wouldn't surprise me," said Harry.

"Me neither," said Moony.

"Well if you two are finished bonding I'd like to get backing to kicking Harry's ass," called Tonks, making her way back to the mat. Moony pushed Harry forward while he was grumbling about ass kickings and damn metamorphs. As promised, Tonks flattened Harry again, though she earned a good bruise on the cheek for it.

oOoOoOo

Harry knocked on the door to Professor McGonagall's office later that night. He heard the teacher invite him in, so he pushed the door open and sat in a comfy armchair across from her, with a desk separating the two.

"I do believe congratulations are in order for finding your new team," said McGonagall as she handed him a cup of tea.

Harry took the cup appreciatively. "Thank you Professor, it was a bit harder than I thought," he replied, taking a sip of his tea.

"Although, I do believe there was an incident between you, Miss Weasley and Mr. McLaggen, I believe?"

Harry stiffened. "Yes, but in light of certain events, I do believe mine and Ginny's actions were justified," he answered tightly. To his surprise, McGonagall nodded her head.

"Indeed. Though I must ask that you report to me next time such an incident occurs so that it can be resolved appropriately," said McGonagall. Harry murmured his agreement and took another sip. "But that is not why you are here," she continued, leaning forwards slightly and looking Harry in the eyes. "Tell me, how long have you been practicing to become an Animagus?"

"I haven't," was the quick reply. Harry noted how his Head of House's eyebrows shot up briefly.

"If not then, are you a Natural Animagus?"

"I don't believe a Natural Animagus can have multiple forms, Professor." This time, McGonagall truly looked shocked.

"Multiple forms? But that is-"

"Surely you've heard of the rumours about my duel between Tonks and I?" interrupted Harry.

"Yes, but I assumed they were merely rumours, exaggerating your abilities." She leaned forward slightly more. "So you are a shape shifter? How many forms can you assume?"

Harry shrugged. "Depends on how many ancestors I have that could transform as well, I guess," he answered.

"Your powers are genetic?"

"Yes. though they only manifested during a time when a Dark Lord was threatening the world. In my case, Voldemort is back, so my powers manifested. I haven't mastered all my forms yet, but I guess I can currently turn into a fair few."

"Interesting. What can you 'shift' into thus far?"

Harry began counting with his fingers. "The Siberian Tiger is I guess you could say the form that is most a part of me, seeing as I'm the first Potter that can turn into one. My other forms are a lion, leopard, black panther, direwolf, golden eagle, lynx and I'm currently working on a cheetah."

"Seven forms, soon to be eight?" asked McGonagall.

"Yeah," answered Harry. McGonagall looked thoughtful for a moment.

"Mr. Potter. I believe you could help me with a little project I have started working on," she said. Harry leaned forward.

"Anything Professor. What is it?"

McGonagall lips tilted upwards slightly, pleased with Harry's enthusiasm. "Three students have come to me asking for training to become Animagus' themselves. They believe that they can help in the coming war and also use them as an escape source should the need arise. I found their reasoning sound and have agreed to offer my assistance. But I do think you can help them just as well as I can. And now that I know of your multiple forms, I think you will be understand the difference between the different forms."

"Who are the three students?" asked Harry.

"I think we both know who they are, Mr. Potter."

 _Of course it's them._ Harry was silent for a moment, but he lifted his head up and looked the usually stern professor in the eyes. "So long as they're willing to put in the effort, I'll help where I can," he said confidently. Professor McGonagall actually gave Harry a full smile then.

"Very well. Thank you Mr. Potter, that will be all for today."

Harry stood up and set the empty tea cup on the desk in front of him.

"Oh, and Potter?"

"Yes Professor?"

"Have a biscuit."

Harry smiled widely.

oOoOoOo

Later, Harry arrived back at the Gryffindor common room and saw Ron, Hermione and Ginny huddled together chatting. Grinning wickedly, Harry transformed into the smaller lynx and snuck over to his friends. He hid behind the couch, then jumped over the back of the couch and Ginny's head, landing on her lap. Ginny let out a shriek and almost threw Harry off but quickly realized who it was.

"Harry you bloody git!Don't do that again!" she scolded. Harry only meowed innocently then shifted back to human form, squashing the petite girl.

"OOF! _Gerroff!"_ came the muffled exclamation from under Harry. Harry only laughed until Ginny threatened to use her Bat-Bogey Hex on him, which made him quickly free the angry Weasley. Harry slyly smirked at her bedraggled appearance. Ron was laughing uproariously while Hermione had a small smile on her face.

"Sorry Gin," said Harry cheekily. Ginny only huffed and folded her arms, refusing to look at him, though he could see the grin and reddening cheeks behind the curtain of fire that was her hair. Harry chuckled and looked at each of his friends. "So Professor McGonagall gave some interesting news to me just before."

Hermione perked up quickly. "Oh is it about your shape shifting?" she asked excitedly. Harry inwardly laughed at his friend's enthusiasm to learn.

"Not quite, but it did have to do with some students coming to her for some extra-curricular lessons," he said. He noticed Ron and Hermione pale, though Ginny's expression gave nothing away. _The twins have taught her well_ , he thought. "Something about Animagus training," he added.

"Harry we were going to tell you..." began Hermione, but Harry started to laugh again.

"Oh don't worry, McGonagall's asked me to help teach you," said Harry. Ron and Hermione both sighed in relief while Ginny beamed.

"Well aren't you the helpful one," laughed Ginny. She then got up and ruffled Harry's already messy hair, then headed up to the girls' dormitories. "I'm going to bed, goodnight!" she called behind her.

Harry's eyes followed her all the way up until she disappeared, but they remained fixed on where she vanished. he was startled from his staring when somebody coughed obnoxiously and he turned to face a grinning Hermione. Ron was nowhere to be found.

"What?" said Harry.

Hermione's smile only grew bigger. "Is there something you should be telling us?" she asked.

 _Several things actually,_ Harry thought sarcastically. But in this case Harry was clueless. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said instead.

"Honestly Harry, you can be as thick as Ron sometimes," said Hermione in an exasperated tone. "You like her don't you?"

Harry, who had gone back to staring up at the girls' dormitory, whipped his head back so fast he cracked his neck to stare at his best friend. "I what?!"

"You have a crush on Ginny, don't you?"

"I er..."

"Everyone can see it, even if you two don't," Hermione said wisely. She stood up and placed a hand on Harry's shoulder. "Just, take it slow with her, alright? She's been waiting for a long time, even if she's been dating other guys. But don't go too slow because she really is quite popular." And with that, Hermione followed Ginny upstairs, leaving Harry to ponder on what she had said.

Did he have a crush on Ginny? They certainly had gotten closer over the summer, especially after her disastrous break up with Dean Thomas. They had confided in each other frequently over the holidays, and were certainly hanging out more at school. And McLaggen had mistakenly thought the two were dating, which made Harry wonder who else thought they were as well. Then there was that familiar flipping sensation he felt whenever Ginny smiled or laughed, a feeling he hadn't felt since his crush on Cho Chang.

Then it hit him. _Bloody hell, I do have a crush on Ginny!_ he thought. There was no other explanation for it. But surely she didn't feel the same way, despite what Hermione had said earlier. Not long ago she had told Harry that Ginny had given up on Harry, which was why she became her usual funny, mischievous self and became more comfortable around Harry. No, she couldn't like him back and why would she? He practically ignored her for the first couple of years since they met.

These thoughts continued to plague Harry's mind as he climbed up to the boy's dorms and went to bed.

oOoOoOo

Wearing his invisibility cloak, Harry snuck outside of Hogwarts and walked as fast as he could over to the Whomping Willow. The full moon and barely begun to peek over the mountains. The deadly tree's branches started to bristle and swing threateningly, but Harry used his wand to levitate a stick over and pressed it to the knot near the tree's roots, freezing it in place. Quickly, Harry ran over to the open hole at the base of the Willow and slid down, following the passageway to the Shrieking Shack. Once inside the rickety building, Harry followed the scent of his favourite werewolf into a large room. Moony was sitting on an old stool that looked just about ready to collapse under his weight, his hair greyer than ever and his eyes almost completely yellow and glowing in the dim lighting. Moony stood up and gave Harry a one-armed hug.

"How have you been this week?" asked Moony.

"Great. The work's getting harder and I have yet to organize a DA meeting, but other than that it's not too bad," replied Harry.

Moony accepted his answer, then gave Harry a sly grin. "And how's Ginny?"

Harry's blush all but confirmed Moony's suspicions. "AHA! So you admit it?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "Yeah yeah, took me a while to figure it out," he mumbled.

"Have you asked her out yet?" Harry looked stunned by the question.

"No, I don't think she'll say yes anyway. She only sees me as a friend anyway," Harry said sadly. Now it was Moony's turn to roll his eyes. But before he could say anything, he froze. Harry could feel the infection spreading through Moony as well and backed away.

"You'd better shift now Harry," said Moony. Harry didn't need to be told twice, so he quickly shifted into his tiger form and watched nervously as Moony transformed.

It was agony for Harry to watch his parents' friend go through such a painful ordeal and not be able to do anything about it. Since living with the Dursleys, Harry always had that instinct to help other people in need if he could. He watched helplessly as Moony's body stretched and contorted into a more wolf-like appearance and as fur sprouted along his body and tail. The transformation completed and Harry walked slowly over to the werewolf, nudging him carefully with his big head. Although Moony seemed taller and longer than Harry's tiger form, Harry was certainly more muscular than the grey-furred wolf.

The two beasts sniffed each other nervously before Moony playfully smacked Harry across the muzzle. Harry retaliated and tackled the smaller creature and the two wrestled around for a while. Being such large creatures in a small space, it wasn't long before their wrestled made them knock over cabinets, bookshelves and chairs, though neither one cared, being too caught up in their play fighting to notice.

Eventually the too grew tired, having expended much of their energy. Harry curled up in a corner and fell asleep almost instantly, while Moony stayed awake, watching the ominous castle from the broken window of their room.

Harry eventually woke up when he heard his roommate whimper quietly. Sitting up and yawning, revealing his massive teeth and tongue, Harry looked over and was overcame with the same sense of helplessness from the night before as Moony transformed back into a human. He averted his eyes away from the naked man and waited patiently for Moony to put his spare clothes on. It took a while, what with Moony still feeling sore from the transformation, but eventually Harry was able to look at his guardian. He shifted back to human form and carefully helped Moony back outside to Hogwarts, immobilizing the Whomping Willow with the same stick he used before. The sun was just rising, casting a faint orange light upon the grounds. Moony breathed in a whiff of fresh air and smiled contently.

"I can't thank you enough for your help last night Harry," said Moony, his voice thick with emotion.

"If you need anything, Uncle Moony, just ask," said Harry. Moony patted Harry on the back and limped his way to the front gates of the Hogwarts grounds. When they got there, Harry pulled his honorary uncle into a hug, being careful not to squeeze too hard. "I'll see you later this week," said Harry as he released Moony.

"Take care of yourself until then Harry," replied Moony. "And do ask Ginny out!" Before Harry could respond, Moony Disapparated with a loud _crack!_

"Bloody werewolf," grumbled Harry.

 _A/N- I described Moony as more more of an oversized wolf than what he is described as in the books and shown in the movies because honestly he looks garbage in the Prisoner of Azkaban. Looks more like a cross between a hairless poodle and Gollum to be honest. Don't kill me for it please._


	9. Chapter 9- Welcome Back to the DA

_A/N- This chapter was an absolute pain in the ass to write. Probably didn't help that I'm bloody sleep-deprived from going to the midnight premiere of Star Wars: Rogue One WHICH IS A BLOODY GOOD MOVIE BTW FOOKING DARTH VADER (swears in Australian because we all know Aussies are the best at using vulgar language). Well, now that that's out of the way, enjoy!_

 **Chapter 9- Welcome Back to the DA**

"You alright Harry? You're looking a bit peaky."

Harry looked up from his bowl of porridge to stare at the concerned redhead in front of him. Giving Ginny his best reassuring smile he nodded.

"Just a little tired is all," said Harry. "I was with Remus last night."

Ginny nodded her head in understanding. "How is he?" she asked.

"He's doing fine, from what I could tell. We spent most of the time time catching up and wrestling."

"Wrestling?"

Harry laughed. "Yeah, when he transformed we wrestled for a bit. Needless to say the Shrieking Shack looks a little bit more haunted now," he joked. He didn't have to mention the conversation he had with Moony about her though.

Ginny laughed the sweet laugh that made Harry's heart beat just a little faster, then stood up and grabbed her bag. She then gave Harry a stern look. "You should probably get to work on the DA, people are starting to get on my nerves about it asking for this and that." And with that, she left, her long hair billowing gently behind her. Harry continued to stare after her until she rounded the corner and left. The quickly finished off his breakfast and left the hall down to Hagrid's hut to assist his friend with the Acromantula he was (unfortunately) showing the fourth years.

oOoOoOo

Thanks to Hermione, the charms on the DA coins all received the message that the first DA meeting would commence after dinner that Wednesday night. Harry had prepared his lesson outline and was impatiently pacing back and forth across the Room of Requirement, the eyes of Ron, Hermione, Ginny and Neville following him. Luna was with them as well, although her attention was the latest issue of _The Quibbler._ Despite having done this loads of times last year, it still didn't stop the nerves from kicking in.

"Oh for Merlin's sake, stop that!" shouted an exasperated Ginny. Harry stopped in his tracks and glared at the feisty redhead, and she glared right back at him. Harry was the first to look away and grinned sheepishly at his friends.

"Sorry, I'm just really nervous is all," said Harry.

"Why? You've done this loads of times before," said Ron. Harry didn't get to reply though as students began to file into the magical room. Most of them were last year's DA members and they all waved cheerily at Harry. Harry half-smiled in their directions as more and more students came into the room. Harry frowned slightly as Cho Chang walked in and smiled flirtatiously at him. He also saw her glaring at Ginny, who had moved to stand next to him.

Harry eventually had to ask the room to expand its size even more to accommodate for the ever increasing amount of students still coming. "That's a bit more than last year," he said sarcastically.

"Just a bit," agreed Ginny in the same tone. They shared a glance at each other and started snickering before Harry focussed back on the students. He was surprised to note that Blaise Zabini and Daphne Greengrass were among those coming and were probably the only Slytherins here, not including a small group of nervous second-years. From what Harry knew of them, Blaise and Daphne were not pure-blood fanatics who came from families that worshipped Voldemort like the Malfoys, but Harry resolved to keep an eye on them just in case. Eventually the trickle of students coming into the Room of Requirement began to lessen and the doors eventually closed behind a stern Professor McGonagall, who had agreed to supervise the meeting tonight.

Harry froze for a moment at the sight of nearly half the school staring at him patiently, waiting for him to start the meeting.

"Go on," encouraged Ginny, who pushed him forward.

Harry cleared his throat and took another step forward. "Welcome to the DA," he began. "To those of you who participated last year, welcome back! As Professor Dumbledore stated at the start of year feast, this club is an extra Defense class designed to teach you in a more in-depth manner how to fight against the Dark Arts and hopefully survive. Voldemort-" he had to stop when several people gasped at the use of the Dark Lord's name, and somebody even screamed.

"Merlin's beard, how the hell are you going to fight against him if you can't even say his name!" shouted Harry, his temper flaring. "Fear of the name only increases fear of the thing itself! If you're not scared of using Voldemort's- yeah, I said it again -name, then he has no power over you!"

"Easy for you to say, you're supposedly the only one who's fought him more than once and lived to talk about it!" called out the pompous Zacharias Smith. Harry had to resist the urge to hex the git right there.

"Look, I'm not trying to belittle you for not being able to say Voldemort's name, I'm trying to teach you that there are far worse things you should worry about than saying some tosser's name," said Harry tiredly. At that moment, everyone in the room could finally see the burden that he carried on his broad shoulders, and couldn't help but respect the boy's strength. "Fine, if you feel it's too much to speak his name, I have a proposition. I don't want anyone to say 'You-Know-Who' or 'He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named' during these meetings. Instead, I want you all to come up with some insult to call him, like 'The Dark Tosser,' or 'That Slimy Git.'" Harry earned a few laughs from that. "Or my personal favourite, 'Tom Riddle,' which was real name before he changed it to Voldemort."

"How do you know that?" asked someone from the crowd.

"Because he told me," Harry replied simply. "Now, if there are no more questions or gasps from you all, I'd like to get back to the matter at hand." Harry looked at several people's faces.

"At the end of last year, we were starting on covering the Patronus Charm. However, given how many of you showed up tonight, I think we'll have to split you off into two groups. The first group will be learning some basic Defensive spells and curses, and if I or any of my assistants-" he gestured to his friends behind him, "-feel that you are too advanced for this group, you will be moved up. The second group will be our advanced class and we will be learning to perform the Patronus Charm."

A young girl from Hufflepuff raised their hand. Harry signaled for the young girl to ask her question.

"How come those five are your assistants?" she asked, pointing to his friend behind him. Harry's throat constricted slightly as he looked at them, asking the silent question. With a nod of their heads Harry turned back.

"As some of you are aware, at the end of June, my friends and I staged a rescue mission at the Ministry of Magic for Si-a close friend." Harry almost choked on the use of Sirius' name. "Unfortunately, it was a trap set up by Voldemort and a group of Death Eaters to capture an artifact held in the Department of Mysteries. For some reason, i was the only one who could retrieve it. Voldemort himself joined the battle in the end, and all six of us were badly injured in the battle, and we would have all been killed if it weren't for the intervention of Dumbledore and a group of Aurors." Harry gave his friends a grateful look.

"However, despite our injuries and our rescuers, I'm proud to say that my friends fought well and gave the Death Eaters a run for their money.

"So without further ado, I'd like my senior DA members and any of the older students to move to the left-hand side of the room and the rest of you to the right." Everybody swarmed to either the left or right of the room. It became obvious that the advanced class was much smaller than the beginner's class, so Harry asked Ron, Hermione and Luna to supervise them and go over some spells. He, Ginny and Neville then went over to the senior group and stood before them.

"Now, before we begin, I'd like for any of you who don't know the Patronus Charm to raise their hands." A couple students put their hands up. "Okay. Now the Patronus Charm is a highly advanced Defensive Spell that is used to repel Dementors. It is advanced because it is powered by the positive thoughts and emotions and is basically the physical embodiment of them.

"As you should know, Dementors feed off the fear and horrors of those around them, making it difficult to cast the spell. It is impossible for one deeply associated in the Dark Arts to cast the Patronus Charm. Your Patronus will take the form of an animal that best embodies your personality and morals, or it could take the form of your guardian angel. For example, my father's Animagus form was a stag." With that, Harry drew his wand and bellowed " _Expecto Patronum!"_ An enormous silver stag erupted from the tip of Harry's wand and galloped around the Room of Requirement. Prongs trotted over to Harry and bowed before looking expectantly at his wand. All of a sudden another silver stream shot out of Harry's wand and began to take shape. Harry heard Ginny and several others gasp as the second Patronus took the form of a lioness as it let out a deep roar. The two Patroni then bowed to Harry and disappeared, leaving the body of students and teacher completely silent.

Professor McGonagall strode over to Harry and looked expectantly at the stunned boy. "Potter, did you know you could do that?" she asked. Harry shook his head.

"No Professor, that's the first time that's happened to me," he answered. McGonagall's eyes widened, then she smiled slightly.

"It seems that you are full of surprises," she said before retreating back to her corner. Ginny then came over to Harry, followed by many of the advanced class.

"That was brilliant Harry!" she exclaimed happily. "Those Dementors won't know what hit them next time they show their ugly faces!"

Harry couldn't help but smile at the petite redhead. He then turned to the other students. "Alright, now that we've gotten over that surprise, let's see what you can do." He had the students stand in three lines across the room and told them to draw their wands, but not to do anything.

"Now, before you cast the spell, I want you to think of a happy memory, or even a thought, and to focus on how it makes you feel. When you've got that thought firmly in your mind, then you can cast the spell when you're ready."

After a few minutes most of the students began casting the spell, though most weren't getting anything. Cho was able to conjure her swan Patronus, which flew gracefully around the room before dissipating into a cloud of silver mist. Harry smiled happily at her effort, then turned to watch the others. Blaise Zabini was the second student to get his corporeal Patronus, a giant Komodo dragon. It crawled its way over to a small group of second years and chased the terrified students around the room, much to everyone's amusement.

Harry noticed Neville frowning in disappointment as his silvery shield struggled to take form. He walked over and asked the boy what was wrong.

"It's just not working for some reason," complained Neville.

"What memory are you using?" asked Harry.

"When I first found out I could do magic."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Didn't your uncle accidentally drop you out of a window?"

Neville flushed with embarrassment. "Yeah, but I was still pretty happy about it," he replied.

"That's your problem," said Harry, snapping his fingers. "You're using a memory of something that made your family happy, but you were probably more relieved than anything. What thoughts make you truly happy?"

Neville had to think for a moment. Then his lips curled into a smile. "One day seeing my parents cured and able to finally come home with me," he said finally.

"Good, now hold on to the feeling you get when you cast the spell," said Harry.

Neville took a deep breath and pointing his wand upwards, bellowing " _Expecto Patronum!"_ A powerful stream of silver shot out and began contorting into a massive animal. Harry couldn't help but whistle as his Patronus took the shape of an angry grizzly bear. Several students ran over to Neville and offered their congratulations, patting him on the back and ruffling his hair.

Out of the corner of his eye Harry caught Ginny staring at him. He turned around and saw the look of admiration and pride she was giving him. Smiling, she tore her eyes away from Harry and shouted the incantation, and a giant tiger, larger than Neville's Patronus, sprang forth. Harry and Ginny's eyes widened as they both recognized it to be Harry's tiger form, the unmistakeable shaggy fur ruffling as it jogged around the shocked girl and the power it emanated.

Harry tore his eyes away from the tiger and stared at Ginny, whose blush was as red as her hair. He was her guardian? Well, Harry wasn't exactly that surprised about it, looking back at all the two had been through. But nevertheless Harry couldn't help but feel honoured that Ginny felt that way about him. Grinning, Harry summoned his Patronus, though this time it was only the lioness that came out and it tackled Ginny's, the two big silver cats wrestling around much like Harry and Remus had a few nights prior.

Harry glanced around the Room of Requirement and was filled with pride for his peers. Everyone seemed to be concentrating on their spells, though there were pockets of kids socializing and helping each other out. A group of Hufflepuffs were chatting with a couple Slytherins in the far corner. Ron and Hermione were teaching some of the younger grades some basic jinxes and curses, while a small Slytherin seemed utterly flummoxed by whatever Luna was saying. _This is what Hogwarts should be like,_ thought Harry. Voldemort wanted the people divided, but if everyone were united under a common cause, then Voldemort couldn't win.

oOoOoOo

Later that night, Harry followed Professor McGonagall to the Headmaster's office. McGonagall gave the gargoyle the password (licorice wands) and knocked on the door. They heard the quiet response of Dumbledore inviting them in and the two walked into his office. All of the machines and gizmos Harry had destroyed at the end of June had been repaired, and Harry felt ashamed that he had caused the Headmaster such trouble.

Dumbledore and Fawkes, Dumbledore's phoenix, both seemed to sense Harry's turmoil. Fawkes flew from his post and perched himself on Harry's shoulder and sang a soft tune that instantly calmed Harry's nerves, while Dumbledore gave him a warm smile. "It's not your fault Harry, you were perfectly within reason to cause such destruction," he said wisely. He then gestured to the two seats situated in front of his desk and offered them a lemon drop. Harry accepted one, while McGonagall declined. "Now, what can I help you two with today?" asked Dumbledore politely.

"Mr. Potter ran his first DA session tonight," said McGonagall.

"And I trust the lesson was a success?" he asked, looking at Harry.

"As far as I know sir," answered Harry. "A lot of people thanked me at the end and were willing to come again next week."

"Excellent," said Dumbledore. "With your training and experience, I am confident that you will teach these students a great many things."

"There's something else," said McGonagall. Dumbledore leaned forward on his seat and rested his elbows on his desk, peering over his half-moon spectacles.

McGonagall cleared her throat before continuing. "Mr. Potter had split off the students into two groups, the beginner's group and the advanced group. Mr. Potter of course took charge of the advanced class and began teaching them the Patronus Charm. He performed a demonstration of the charm when something peculiar happened."

Harry shuffled nervously in his seat, afraid of the Headmaster's reaction to the news.

"His Patronus, the stag that we all know, was the first that appeared from Harry's wand," continued McGonagall. Harry and Dumbledore looked up in surprise, though Harry's reaction came from the fact that his strict Transfiguration teacher had called him by his first name.

"The first?" enquired Dumbledore.

McGonagall nodded her head. "It was followed by another Patronus, this time a lioness," she said. Dumbledore looked at Harry inquiringly.

"I don't know why that happened, Professor, I'm just as surprised as you are," said Harry. Dumbledore looked thoughtful for a minute, the twinkle in his eyes diminishing ever so slightly.

"Harry," said Dumbledore after a long moment of silence, "How common do you think it is for someone to have two Patronus'?"

"I don't know sir, but I imagine it would be very rare," answered Harry slowly.

"It has never happened before."

Harry looked up at the Headmaster in shock. "Never?" exclaimed Harry.

"Never," repeated Dumbledore.

"Then why can I do it?"

"I believe it is because you are a far more powerful wizard than we originally thought. Whether that has to do with the fact that you are a descendant of Gryffindor or that you might be a powerful wizard in your own right, or more likely a combination of both, has yet to be determined.

"What I would like to know, however, is why a lioness?"

Harry looked down at his hands resting on his lap. "I have no idea," he finally said. "I don't know anyone who could relate to a lioness for me." _That's not necessarily true,_ he added in his mind.

"Interesting," murmured Dumbledore. "Very well. Harry, if you have any other interesting developments regarding your magical abilities please inform me. I believe this would be a fun little project of ours."

Harry knew Dumbledore's words were a clear dismissal, but he couldn't help but smile at the old man's enthusiasm. Standing up and sending Fawkes back to his post, he bid the two Professors goodnight and left his office.

oOoOoOo

News of Harry's having two Patronus' travelled fast around the school. Many Slytherins did not believe the stories, despite several of their own having witnessed it. As the news spread further, the tale became vastly more exaggerated. One story claimed that Harry''s second Patronus was a gigantic Hungarian Horntail which ate all the other Patronus' and grew in size the more it ate. Why anybody thought Harry would have a Hungarian Horntail as his second Patronus was beyond him, he had already sworn to never deal with that particular breed of dragon ever again.

September came and went, and with October came colder weather and more Quidditch practice. Due to the days getting shorter and colder, many students and teachers could be seen outside, absorbing as much sunlight as they could. The giant squid was happy to break up young couples snogging on the Black Lake's shores by splashing them with its massive tentacles. Harry was happy to discover that Colin Creevey had managed to catch Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson performing less than moral deeds behind a tree near the Black Lake, and Colin had even taken a picture of the ordeal.

Harry worked his Quidditch team as often and as heard as he could, though he was nowhere near as fanatic a captain as Oliver Wood had been. For that, Katie Bell was extremely thankful for that, she being the only other remaining member of the Quidditch team to fall under the 'Wrath of Wood,' as it was so called. Harry left Ron to create many of the plays for the team, he being the better tactician, while Harry was in charge of keeping the team focussed and made sure that everybody got along with each other.

At the end of every Quidditch practice, harry would wait behind for Ginny to escort her back to the castle for dinner. The two would often tease each other and play around, often ending up late for dinner because they would have to take frequent breaks to recover from fits of laughter, which would often last for several minutes. Harry had noticed Ginny's lingering touches on his arms and shoulders and the looks she would give him when she thought he wasn't looking. Harry fervently hoped that the meanings behind the looks were the same as the ones he would often give her.

Though Harry and Ginny had no idea, just about everyone knew the two were off limits in the dating world, as everyone believed it to be just a matter of time before the two finally got a clue and asked the other out (though apparently Cho Chang wasn't aware, having been seen attempting to flirt with a clearly uncomfortable Harry in front of a furious looking ginny on multiple occasions) . There was a long standing bet throughout the whole school being run by Ron and the Creevey brothers over when they would finally start dating. The most popular bet was that they would get together just after New Year's, and apparently some people had invested some serious money into the bet.

oOoOoOo

The day of Halloween marked one week before the first Quidditch match of the season, Gryffindor vs Ravenclaw. Despite being excited for his first game since last year, Harry couldn't help but feel a little grumpy about the fact that he would be forced to play against his ex-girlfriend Cho. Everywhere he went, Cho seemed to be there conveniently, smiling and attempting to attract his attention. He was aware of the fact that their meetings were anything but 'convenient' thanks to his enhanced senses, he knew that the Ravenclaw was actually following him. Ron, in a rare display of wit, had taken to calling Cho the 'Walking Waterfall,' a name which Harry found to be quite suitable. Ginny made a point of calling her that every time she saw the other girl, and would only shrug whenever Cho would run the other direction bawling her eyes out, with a look on her face that meant 'I rest my case.'

Harry was walking back with Ginny to head to the Halloween feast when he heard it again. He instantly tuned out the girl next to him to listen to the wind.

 _Find us Harry... you must come now..."_

Harry found that he couldn't resist the urge to follow the wind and stopped in his tracks.

"Harry? What is it?" asked Ginny, noticing Harry's tense posture and focussed look. Harry ignored her and attempted to determine where the wind was going.

" _Find us... hurry... hurry..."_

He attempted to ignore it, instead turning his attention back to Ginny and the castle. He noticed Ginny's questioning look and smiled placatingly at her.

"Don't worry, it's nothing. I thought I heard something is-"

" _FIND US!"_

The force of the words hit Harry so hard he fell to his knees, gasping for air. Ginny screamed and knelt beside him and wrapped her arms around Harry's shoulders, attempting to pull him shaking boy up and drag him back up to the castle.

Harry however had other ideas. Every instinct he possessed screamed at him to follow the voice into the Forbidden Forest and find the source of it. So, without a second thought, Harry threw Ginny off him and sprinted towards the Forbidden Forest, ignoring Ginny's pleas to come back. Just before he reached the trees he shifted into his tiger form and ran even faster into the forest. He was vaguely aware of Ginny sprinting back up to the castle, screaming for help. Ignoring her, Harry ran on, determined to follow the Voice.

 _A/N- And thus the plot begins to unfold. Not very hard to guess who the lioness might be ammiright? Right? Oh bloody hell here have your update!_

 _A/N 3.0- A BIG thank you to all those who agree on my opinion on POA's Moony! Seriously, if I was a wizard I'd be more concerned that he'd blow away from a light breeze he was that bloody skinny. Also, i'm sure we can all guess who the lioness might be ammiright? Right? Don't let me down folks!_


	10. Chapter 10- Griffin Clearing

_A/N- This chapter's gonna be a little longer..._

 **Chapter 10- Griffin Clearing**

The trees passed by Harry in a blur as he ran with blinding speed through the Forbidden Forest. Small animals avoided the massive predator as he charged through trees, overcome with a desperate instinct to follow the Voice. Harry could hear a pack of Acromantulas attempting to waylay him, but he was too fast and agile for the overgrown spiders to catch.

" _This way..."_ said the Voice from a little to his left as the wind changed in the same direction. Harry instantly veered off his current trail and continued onward, the wind pushing forward. Harry didn't know how long he ran, but he felt it was only for about twenty minutes. Already he was feeling fatigued, the tiger was not an endurance runner. To remedy that he shifted from tiger to direwolf without missing a beat, and instantly felt his endurance rejuvenate. So he pressed forward, fiercely determined to reach his destination, wherever that was.

oOoOoOo

Ginny sprinted up to the castle and through the Great Hall, where the entire student body was enjoying the Halloween festivities. She ignored the questions coming from her friends and marched right up to the teacher's table and stood directly in front of Professor Dumbledore. The old wizard looked up at the red-faced Weasley girl and smiled.

"Ah, Miss Weasley. What a pleasant surprise," said Dumbledore warmly. "I trust you are enjoying the festivities?"

"Harry's in trouble," said Ginny, cutting straight to the point. Immediately Dumbledore's warm demeanor changed to a serious expression.

"What happened," he asked, or more accurately, demanded. Ginny forced herself to stop the tears from pouring down and tried to calm herself before continuing.

"I was walking back from Quidditch practice with him, we were the only two left and we were talking when he just collapsed to the ground and started shaking. He kept looking towards the Forbidden Forest and I tried to pull him up to take him to the hospital wing but he pushed me off him and ran into the forest. He shifted just before he got there and that's when I ran up here."

Dumbledore looked thoughtful for a moment before signaling his Heads of House. He then stood up and gestured them to follow him. "You'd best join us Miss Weasley, along with your brother and Miss Granger," Dumbledore added.

Ginny nodded in affirmation and headed over to where Ron and Hermione were sitting, and to her disgust were feeding each other over the table with sappy grins on their faces. Resisting the urge to vomit, she grabbed Ron by the collar and pulled him up, earning a disgruntled "Hey!" in the process and motioned for Hermione to follow as well.

The three teenagers followed the teachers up to the headmaster's office and were invited to sit while the teachers stayed standing.

"What is going on Albus?" asked Professor McGonagall.

"Mr. Potter has vanished into the Forbidden Forest," said Dumbledore gravely. His answer was met by gasps and murmurings amongst the teachers and Ron and Hermione, though Ginny remained silent.

"How can you be sure?" demanded Professor Sprout.

"Miss Weasley was with him at the time of his disappearance," said Dumbledore. He indicated for Ginny to repeat what she had told him at the feast.

Standing up nervously, she began her tale again. "We had just finished Quidditch practice and Harry and I were the last ones leaving, just like every other day after Quidditch," she said, not noticing the smirks on Ron and Hermione's faces. "We were almost up to the castle when he just collapsed to the ground and started shaking. I tried to bring him back to the hospital wing but he bolted towards the Forbidden Forest and shifted into a tiger just before he disappeared. I ran as fast as I could to warn Professor Dumbledore after that."

There was a brief moment of silence before the teachers started murmuring amongst themselves.

"We should set up a search party," said Professor Flitwick.

"We can't let the other students know that Harry has disappeared, it will cause panic," added Professor Sprout.

"Some of us will have to stay here, make sure everything remains in order," piped up Professor Slughorn, who Ginny hadn't realised until then was the new Slytherin Head of House since Snape's sabbatical.

"Indeed," said Dumbledore. "Filius, I would ask that you prepare a search party. Have volunteers from the staff and some of the more trustworthy prefects join us." Professor Flitwick nodded his assent and quickly left the office. Dumbledore then turned to Professor McGonagall. "Minerva, contact the Order. Have them bring as many as are available for the search." Professor McGonagall immediately went to the fireplace and stepped inside with some Floo powder, shouting "The Burrow!" as she vanished in the green flames.

The three teenagers sat in awkward silence as the other teachers discussed plans to find their friend. Finally Dumbledore looked at them when the talking died down. "Thank you for informing us, Miss Weasley. And to Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger, we thought it best that you were the first to know. You may return to the feast now," he said.

His suggestion was met with immediate resistance.

"You can't expect us to simply sit by and wait for you to find Harry!" yelled Ron.

"He's our friend!" screamed Ginny.

Hermione, ever the more reasonable one, said, "Besides, Ron and I are prefects, and you said you needed us to help. Plus Ginny is the only one who knows exactly where he ran, it would help give you and idea as to where he might be going."

Dumbledore's eyes were twinkling in full force. "You have yet again displayed unwavering loyalty for Harry. Very well, you three will join us."

Dumbledore stood and led the remaining teachers and teenagers outside of the school and met up with Professors Flitwick, Vector, Sinistra, Tonks and Hagrid, along with some of the school prefects. Moony, Kingsley, Mr. Weasley, Bill, Fleur and Professor McGonagall soon joined them.

"Now, our priority is to find Harry and bring him to safety," said Dumbledore to the assembled group. "If you locate him, send up green sparks. If you are in need of assistance, red sparks. If you find Harry and need assistance, blue sparks. Am I understood?" Once everybody murmured their agreement or nodded their heads, Dumbledore turned to Ginny. "Now Miss Weasley, where did Harry run to?"

Ginny led them over near the Quidditch pitch and pointed to the trees nearby. "Through there," she said.

"Very well. Everybody, spread out," send Dumbledore, drawing his wand and leading everyone into the forest. Ginny paused just before the trees.

 _Please, let him be safe_ , prayed Ginny. She summoned her Gryffindor courage, and stepped into the haunting forest.

oOoOoOo

The black wolf panted heavily as his tired legs continued running. Sticks and leaves tangled in his thick fur and limbs whipped past his body, but he largely ignored them. Harry could feel that he was close to his destination. _Not to far now,_ he thought. _Almost there..._

His eyes were assaulted by a blinding light and he ran around a tree. This was no place Harry had ever been before, and he had been into the Forbidden Forest a numerous occasions over the years. Harry figured that no light could penetrate the thick canopy of the forest, especially seeing as the sun should have completely set by now.

He slowed to a walk and shifted into his leopard form, crouching low and moving slowly through the thick undergrowth. He was confident that he was well camouflaged in the bushes and darkness, though knowing his luck, Harry might just run into some monster that could see in the dark. He moved carefully, his padded feet absorbing the cracking of any twigs he might be stepping on, making him an almost completely silent hunter.

The leopard had to squint his eyes as he got closer to the light, and he heard a faint trill that calmed his nerves. _Phoenix song,_ thought Harry. He moved his ears on the top of his head like radar dishes, scanning for potential dangers before slinking out of the bushes. He remained in a tense position, prepared to either bolt for it or fight if he had to.

Crawling closer to the light, the phoenix song grew louder and louder until Harry thought it was right above his head, and sure enough when he looked up, there was a scarlet-winged phoenix with a golden-feathered chest perched on a branch directly above his head looking at him. Harry instantly knew it wasn't Fawkes as it was slightly smaller and had more gold feathers than what Fawkes possessed, and its eyes were an icy blue, unlike Fawkes's beady black ones. It ceased its song and gave a small chirp before it took flight, heading for the light.

Not knowing what else to do, Harry followed the firebird cautiously. Though Harry knew that phoenixes were creatures of light and would never intentionally lead him into a trap, he remained on guard.

His caution proved fruitful when he heard several feet pattering towards him and his hackles rose in tension. From behind a large bush emerged four large wolves of pure white fur and glowing sapphire eyes. Though not as large as Harry's direwolf form, they were clearly not normal wolves. Harry growled in both fear and anger as the large canines approached him, but they largely ignored him as they circled him and sniffed curiously.

They seemed satisfied with their discovery of the spotted cat because they flanked him, two on each side. Harry stood upright, confused as to what was going on until one of the wolves nudged him in the hindquarters with its nose, urging him on. Harry followed the wolf's request and again walked in the direction of the light.

A minute later Harry stumbled in shock. Before him was an enormous arch of white marble with vines weaving its way around it. Carvings of lions, dragons, phoenixes and griffins marked the marble surface, all carved in intricate detail. Harry was extremely curious as to what lay behind the grand arch and was not disappointed.

A green field stretched as far as the eye could see. trees of various species and large rocks and boulders lay here and there across the field, and in the centre of the field was a waterhole filled with the clearest water Harry had ever seen. The black trees of the Forbidden Forest made an imposing perimeter around the huge clearing, and though Harry knew it was dark, an unknown source of light bathed the clearing in warmth and colour.

Even more amazing were the animals and magical creatures that flittered and grazed about the clearing. A pride of griffins lazed about on a crop of boulders close to the waterhole, while a small group of wolf puppies played together nearby, with their parents and some of the griffins watching them protectively. Harry was surprised to see that Talongwing, the griffin Hagrid had used for Harry's class of Care of Magical Creatures was among them. On the far side of the clearing grazed a small herd of gigantic Erumpets, their magical horns pulsing with orange light. Naiads splashed and washed their hair in the waterhole, singing softly to each other. The strangest thing that Harry could see there was a humongous, dull green-scaled Tyrannosaurus Rex sleeping peacefully under the shade of an oak tree, its fearsome teeth jutting out over its lower jaw. Even from here Harry could see that its thick leathery skin was marked with numerous scars. If Harry could gasp in his leopard form, he would have. Instead, he let out a strange sound that sounded like a cross between a sneeze and a meow.

One of the wolves let out a low howl which instantly drew the attention of all the creatures in the clearing, minus the Erumpets, which were too busy eating to either notice or care. The T. rex seemed to not care either, though it did wake up and look at the strange group entering the clearing. The wolves nudged Harry again towards the waterhole, where Harry finally noticed a large rock jutting from the ground that seemed to act like some sort of stand. Harry saw that many of the creatures had gathered around the waterhole, and felt the eyes of just about every creature trained on him, and Harry felt frightened that making the wrong move might anger them.

The phoenix that Harry saw earlier flew over him once more and landed on the rock where it regarded all below it with care in its eyes. The many creatures all looked up to the phoenix, as though waiting for something. Harry had the distinct impression that they were waiting for somebody else to show up to this 'gathering' of sorts, though Harry couldn't see anyone else. Suddenly Harry heard the roar that sounded like the cracking of thunder that shook the very ground and caused the wind to pick up in intensity.

When Harry looked back up to the rock, he was startled to see a lion standing next to the phoenix. It was bigger than any lion had seen before, easily the size of a full grown griffin, if not larger. His long mane and fur was pure gold in the light, and his dark brown eyes sparked with human intelligence. Harry noticed all the other animals bowed before the great lion in respect, and Harry thought it polite if he do the same.

Harry was surprised to hear a deep rumbling that sounded an awful lot like laughing, and looked up to see the lion smiling. _Wait, SMILING?!_ Harry shifted back to his human form, startling some of the creatures closest to him, including a group of very peeved bowtruckles. Harry looked at the lion cautiously.

"Welcome, Harry Potter. We have been expecting you," said the lion in a deep baritone voice.

Harry fainted.

oOoOoOo

Ginny was the first to spot the green sparks that shot up not far from where she, Dad and Tonks were. They quickly ran as fast as they could to find Remus kneeling over something. There was no sign of Harry.

"Did you find him?" asked Dad. Remus shook his head.

"No, but I found his tracks," he replied distractedly. "Ginny, come here."

Ginny did as she was asked and kneeled down next to the werewolf. "Do you recognise what animal tracks these are?" he asked. Ginny furrowed her eyebrows as she looked down at the tracks. Without a doubt, the massive paw prints belonged to Harry's tiger form. Remus then pointed a few metres ahead and Ginny moved up. This time, the prints were smaller and looked distinctly canine.

"He shifted to his direwolf form?" she asked.

Remus nodded his head. "I believe so. Wolves are excellent endurance runners so wherever Harry was going it must have been quite a ways away," he said.

"What about these tracks?" asked Tonks, pointing to numerous prints that had no toes or claws.

"Acromantulas," replied Remus. "They must have been trying to catch Harry. But judging on how much more dirt Harry's feet seemed to have kicked up compared to the spiders, Harry was much faster than them and it looks like he got away easily enough."

Ginny let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding. She stood back up, brushed the dirt off her knees and looked at Dad. "Should we follow the tracks?" she asked. Dad nodded his head.

"That would be the best option," he replied. "But first, let me send out a Patronus to Albus, let him know we've found Harry's trail." With a flick of his wand a silver Weasel popped out and scurried away from their view. All of a sudden they saw red sparks shoot up into the sky to the east.

"That's where Ron and Hermione are!" cried Ginny.

"Arthur, you and Tonks go and help," ordered Remus. "Ginny and I will keep on Harry's trail."

"But-"

"No buts! We don't have time to argue. They need help and if we all go together we'll lose the trail! Now go!"

Dad gave Ginny one last glance before he and Tonks ran away towards the direction the sparks came from. Ginny shivered, worried for her brother and dad, along with the others who may be in trouble, including Harry.

She was broken from her reverie by Remus clearing his throat. "Come on, we have to keep moving," he said.

Ginny nodded her head and followed her friend.

oOoOoOo

Harry's skin tingled as a light air brushed past his face, tickling his nose slightly. He moaned grumpily as memories of his weird dream floated past his mind. A magical clearing in the Forbidden Forest, a T. rex sleeping under a tree, a talking lion...

Shaking his his head Harry opened his eyes...

And came face to face with said talking lion.

So it wasn't a dream. Harry Potter, the boy who had faced Voldemort five times already in his short life, killed a Basilisk, fought off over a hundred Dementors at once at the age of thirteen, battled and defeated multiple Death Eaters at once, had fainted at the sight of a talking lion.

"Are you all right?" asked the lion in that deep baritone voice that belied a wisdom that could possibly surpass even Dumbledore. Harry sat up groggily, his eyes never leaving the lion.

"F-Fine," stuttered Harry nervously. Harry took in his surroundings. He appeared to be in some kind of grotto, with an opening through the roof that allowed light to seep into the cave. Harry saw that there were stone shelves with various jewels and priceless trinkets scattered about on top. Gold coins littered the grotto's floor like a blanket. The phoenix that had guided Harry to the clearing was perched on a rocky outcrop, preening its feathers.

The lion tilted its head to the side, drawing Harry's attention. The lion's brown eyes sparkled much in the same manner as Dumbledore's though there was an element of sadness behind it.

"I'm not going to hurt you," said the lion, breaking the silence.

"I think I got that," answered Harry. The lion's brows furrowed, asking a silent question.

"Your eyes, they sparkle like Dumbledore's, he's the headmaster at Hogwarts," said Harry, answering the lion's question. The lion let out a low chuckle that had an underlying growl to it.

"Yes, I know who Dumbledore is and I'm quite familiar with that twinkle in his eyes," said the lion heartily.

"Dumbledore knows about you?"

The lion shook his head, his golden mane shaking side to side dramatically from the movement. "No he does not. But I have ways of knowing about the outside world, and am aware of the threat Voldemort poses to the world. I also know of the Prophecy that haunts your dreams at night and the burden it places on your shoulders."

Harry's eyes widened in realization. " _You're_ the one who brought me here! You were the voice in the wind!" he exclaimed.

The lion nodded his massive head. "Indeed. I felt that it was time to take a more proactive role in your life and to further advance your training in ways that no other could teach you," said the lion.

"You're going to teach me? How? You're just a big, talking lion!" said Harry disbelievingly.

To his surprise, the lion only laughed. "Disbelief of the impossible must run in my family," he mocked.

"Your family?" asked Harry. The lion's look changed to a more solemn expression.

" _Our_ family," corrected the lion.

"Our..." Harry paused, the answer dawning on his face. _But, that's impossible! He's an animal! He can't be alive, that was over a thousand years ago!_

"Yes Harry. Now say hello to your many Greats Grandfather," said the lion gravely.

Harry's mouth dropped open. "Godric Gryffindor?"

The lion nodded again. "I am known as Abraxeau nowadays."

"But, but you're supposed to be _dead!_ " shouted Harry.

"I live as long as the Line of Salazar Slytherin remains on this earth," said Abraxeau.

Harry sat down on a boulder, not saying anything for several minutes. His mind whirled with so many questions. How was he still alive? Why was he in his lion form? What was this cave and the clearing, hidden in the Forbidden Forest?

"How?" Harry finally said. Abraxeau sat on his haunches and sighed, a low rumbling sound.

"As many know, a thousand years ago I came into a major disagreement with Salazar Slytherin concerning which magical children could attend Hogwarts. He believed only the worthy 'Pure-blooded' magical families should be the only ones who should be allowed in the castle, while Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw and myself were of the opinion that any child possessing magical ability should be granted access to the school and to learn to control their power to the best of their abilities. The fighting became so great that I was forced to exile my closest friend from Hogwarts forever, but not before he swore to destroy all Muggle-borns and establish the Pure-Blooded as the true rulers of the wizarding world.

"Unfortunately I took not his oath to heart, which cost me dearly. Many years after his exile, Slytherin returned and in act of pure evil, slaughtered my wife and my two oldest sons and daughter and their families and burned the Gryffindor Family home to the ground. Fortunately my youngest son and myself were at Hogwarts at the time, my youngest having just begun his fourth year.

"After receiving news of the massacre of my family I learned that Salazar was coming for my son to end my line, though he did not know who he was at the time. So, in a last attempt to save my family, I urged my last son to change his last name and to keep his shape shifting powers a secret. After my son completed his education, he fled the country to Godric's Hollow and changed his name to Potter while I prepared to face off against my former friend."

The lion's eyes shone with unshed tears as he continued. "The ensuing battle lasted for almost a week before I finally managed to strike down Salazar, but I myself felt close to death. However, as he drew his last breath, Salazar taunted me, claiming that the oath he took would continue with his line until it ended.

"With a renewed purpose, I performed a powerful ritual on myself that tied my existence to my own oath, and I will continue to live until Salazar Slytherin's line is destroyed."

Abraxeau sat still after his tale, not uttering another word. The only sign that he wasn't a statue was the slow swishing of his tail.

Harry was stunned by Abraxeau's words. This lion-turned-man was forced to live until Slytherin's line was ended. And the only one left was Voldemort.

"Why are you in your beast form?" asked Harry finally.

"A side effect of the ritual I performed," said Abraxeau. "I am trapped in my beast form forever, but I have become accustomed to this form to the point where I do not remember what my other forms were like."

"But how can you teach me? You can't do magic in your form," said Harry.

The lion bared his massive teeth in what Harry assumed was a smile. "That is where you are wrong my boy. Through many years of study and meditation, I am able to perform magic at the standard I used to have as a human." Abraxeau demonstrated by breathing on a golden chalice. the air coming from his mouth shimmered as he exhaled, and the chalice transformed into an exotic parrot with scarlet feathers and a white beak. "And obviously I can talk," he added.

"Whoa," whispered Harry. He looked back at the giant lion. "Can you teach me how to do that?" he asked.

Abraxeau gave another deep chuckle. "All in due time Harry. I need to show you around Griffin Clearing first," he said mirthfully. Abraxeau exited the grotto, having to duck to avoid hitting his head. He motioned for Harry to follow, which he excitedly did, eager to learn more about his oldest ancestor and what he would be teaching him.

The phoenix followed and landed on Harry's shoulder, giving off a happy chirp. Abraxeau eyed the pair interestedly.

"Elenara seems to have taken a liking to you," he commented amusedly, lumbering through the tall grass gracefully.

"What?" asked Harry.

"Elenara has decided that you will be her companion."

Harry's eyes widened for the umpteenth time that day. Seeing Harry's expression Abraxeau laughed again.

"I hope Hedwig will not mind," he said between laughs.

"B-But," stammered Harry.

"What is the problem? You should feel honoured, it is not every day a phoenix chooses a human to be its familiar," said Abraxeau. The phoenix in question trilled in agreement.

Harry looked at the firebird, and it stared back at him, it's ice blue eyes seeming to almost dare him to keep arguing. Conceding the point, Harry stroked Elenara's chest feathers affectionately, something he knew that Hedwig and Fawkes both enjoyed. The phoenix trilled in pleasure as Harry scratched the side of her neck, her feathers ruffling over her body as Harry continued to follow Abraxeau.

"What is this place?" asked Harry.

"This, is Griffin Clearing," said Abraxeau. " A safe haven for magical creatures of the Light. I created this place when I first went into exile for a place cut off from the outside world, where I could train my descendants without outside influence."

"What creatures live here?"

"Mostly griffins, erumpets and naiads. We also have a pack of Moon Wolves, who escorted you here. The adults are the offspring of two werewolves who mated during the full moon. We also have some animals that were originally thought to be extinct like that Tyrannosaurus. We also have a pride of sabre-tooth cats." Abraxeau then leaned closer to Harry. "My personal favourite here is the Thunderbird, but he's not here today."

Harry only nodded and followed Abraxeau towards the T. rex, which was drinking heavily from the waterhole. It looked up and stared at the two newcomers with large amber eyes. It nudged Abraxeau with its enormous head then walked away, each of its steps shaking the ground and causing ripples in the waterhole.

"Does anybody else know about this place?" asked Harry.

"No. The perimeter of the haven is surrounded by a powerful Distracter Charm, so anybody who gets too close that shouldn't be here feel compelled to go somewhere else. Only my heirs and creatures of Light are unaffected by the Charm," explained Abraxeau.

Harry nodded his understanding. "What will I learn here?"

"An excellent question," said Abraxeau. "Here, you will learn to use magic in your beast form, though it will only work in your tiger form. You will learn how to wield a sword, advanced Defensive magic and Transfiguration and Charms.

"You will learn to command all kinds of beasts, magical and non-magical. You will also learn to speak in your beast form as I have. In short, I will show you the power to defeat Tom Riddle and end the line of Slytherin."

"But Dumbledore said that love is the power that Voldemort knows not," said Harry.

"Love plays a major part in the fulfillment of the Prophecy, as you will need your friends and family to overcome Voldemort. However it will not do much to help in you the way of an actual duel against him."

Harry snorted in laughter. For some reason the idea of Dumbledore only being partially right sounded highly amusing. Harry looked at his old watch and grimaced at the time.

"I have to get back now," murmured Harry. "Ginny saw me take off and no doubt had gone for help thinking I got put under some spell."

The giant lion raised an eyebrow (though he didn't have any eyebrows, the fold of skin and fur still raised in the same manner).

"Very well. I will call for you when it is time to begin your training," said Abraxeau, bowing his head to Harry. He then straightened and gave Harry a curious look. "Have you thought of an alibi to explain to your friends?"

Harry pulled up short. "Er..." he mumbled.

"Surely you didn't think you could tell them about this could you?"

"Well I tell Ron and Hermione everything!" snapped Harry.

"You cannot speak of this to anyone," warned Abraxeau. "This is a sacred secret you must take with you to the grave and can only be shared to your wife and children when they come of age. Until then, you cannot speak of this except to myself."

Harry grudgingly nodded his understanding. "So, what do you think I should do?"

The lion sat back on his haunches. "I suppose you can say Voldemort attempted to possess and lead you into the Forbidden Forest, where Death Eaters tried to ambush you."

Harry raised a finger and opened his mouth, then lowered his finger back down.

"That actually isn't a bad idea," conceded Harry. "But what will I tell them about my escape?"

Abraxeau smiled and looked at Elenara, who was busy preening her feathers. "She can help you with that."

oOoOoOo

Ginny was panting heavily as she continued to follow Harry's tracks, though Remus was in much worse condition than her, wheezing and sweating profusely ahead of her. Once again Ginny was grateful for Harry's training sessions.

Her thoughts drifted to her father and friends, and hoped that they were alright.

So consumed by her thoughts, Ginny didn't realize that Remus and stopped running and plowed into him, almost sending them both tumbling to the ground. She apologized and looked around.

It was a dark clearing, barely any light shone through. She could vaguely make out an oddly shaped boulder in the middle of the clearing, though it could be several rocks making the strange outline. Something small and bird shaped was moving around the odd formation on the ground, and Ginny assumed it was some animal patrolling its nest.

Remus and Ginny both lit their wands, murmuring " _Lumos,"_ to see better. Ginny gasped and almost dropped her wand when their wands lighted the odd shape.

It was an unconscious Harry, with a red-gold bird that looked vaguely familiar. Ignoring the bird, Ginny sprinted over and fell to her knees next to Harry and cradled his head, holding back tears that threatened to spill. She looked him over carefully, and found no serious injuries. His clothes were tattered and soaked with a pleasant-smelling liquid. Underneath the rags Ginny saw wounds closing up, leaving no trace of any damage.

Ginny looked at the bird standing next to her and Harry and saw its ice-blue eyes were glistening with tears, then she made the connection. The bird was a phoenix, and it had probably just saved Harry's life.

Both Ginny and Remus turned their heads to the side when they heard twigs snapping, revealing the location of an intruder. They pointed their wands in the direction of the sounds, and both sighed in relief when they saw it was Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall.

"Goodness gracious, is Mr. Potter alright?" gasped Professor McGonagall.

"He's fine, thanks to your phoenix Professor," replied Ginny, speaking to Dumbledore. The old wizard frowned.

"That is not Fawkes," said Dumbledore flatly. Ginny looked at the bird and frowned as well. She was sure that this was Dumbledore's phoenix, but now that she was paying closer attention she could see the difference.

Though she had only seen Fawkes a couple of times, the first being after he healed Harry in her first year down and the Chamber of Secrets and the second being last year after Harry warned Dumbledore of her father's attack, she was certain that Fawkes didn't have bright blue eyes like this bird. Neither did Fawkes have as many golden feathers, and it was also smaller than Fawkes.

"Regardless, this bird more than likely saved Harry's life, and we can be sure to trust it as phoenixes are pure Light creatures," continued Dumbledore. The phoenix trilled in response, filling Ginny's heart with relief and joy.

Remus knelt beside her and Harry and pointed his wand at Harry, muttering " _Rennervate._ "

Harry's eyes fluttered open and he stared up at Ginny's face in confusion.

"Ginny? What are you doing here? Where am I?" he asked quietly. She smiled and stroked his hair carefully.

"You're in the Forbidden Forest. I'm here with Remus, Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall as well. After you ran off, I went to find help and we've been searching for you for hours," explained Ginny. Harry nodded and sat up, and Ginny found that she suddenly missed having Harry's head laying on her lap. He stared at the phoenix.

"Who's this?" he asked.

"A friend who appears to have saved your life," said Remus. "Ginny and I found it healing you and it looks like it's taken a liking to you," he added amusedly when the phoenix jumped onto Harry's shoulder.

"Indeed. In fact, the last time I saw a phoenix bond with a human was between myself and Fawkes in the final days of Grindelwald's reign of terror," said Dumbledore.

"You mean that this phoenix is now Harry's familiar?" exclaimed Professor McGonagall.

"It appears that way," responded Dumbledore with certainty.

"Cool," whispered Ginny with a mixture of awe and jealousy. "What happened to Dad?" she asked next.

"Your friends had an unfortunate experience with a pack of Acromantulas, though by the time your father and Ms. Tonks arrived the situation was taken care of," answered Professor McGonagall. She then shot green sparks into the air with her wand and sent out a cat Patronus to let everyone know that Harry was alive and safe.

Ginny's shoulders slumped in relief. Seeming to sense her emotions, the phoenix let out another trill, bolstering everyone's spirits once more.

"Now, let us head back to the castle, I expect Mr. Potter is quite tired after this whole ordeal, along with the rest of us," said Dumbledore before he turned around and departed the clearing. Ginny and Remus helped Harry up and they followed Dumbledore back to Hogwarts in silence.

Unbeknownst to everyone else, Harry and the phoenix shared a secret look and Harry smiled wryly.

 _A/N- Now before anyone says anything, yes, I totally turned Gryffindor into Aslan from the Chronicles of Narnia, and he will be playing a similar role to Aslan, acting as a sort of guide/mentor to Harry throughout the story. Another thing I would like to mention is the change of his name from Godric Gryffindor to Abraxeau (pronounced Ah-brax-oh). I felt that while he still is one of the Founders of Hogwarts, because he is now permanently a big-ass lion the size of a small elephant he would have left behind his old name in favour of a new one, to symbolize the change in direction of his life and destiny. Let me know what you think of his name-change._

 _I was also tempted to have a griffin as harry's familiar, but I thought better not and decided on Elenara as his new familiar because she will play an important role later on and let's face it, how is Harry going to explain a massive half-eagle-half-lion following him around to classes. Rest assured however, the griffins (especially Talonwing) will play an active role later down the track._

 _Why a T. rex? The real question is WHY THE BLOODY HELL NOT? I honestly just wanted a dinosaur in my story but I think it will also be featured further down the track. Maybe not so much in this story, but more than likely in the sequel._

 _Speaking of which yes I have begun working on the Sequel to Gryffindor's Inheritance, which will be titled 'The Mark of the Tiger.'_

 _Another important item of note is that after this chapter I will be taking a temporary hiatus for two weeks what with Christmas coming up and then straight after that I will be heading down to the Gold Coast Australia for a week-long convention starting Friday the 30th. And no, it is not a convention along the lines of Comic-Con but a getaway for adults in my religion aged18-30 (yes, I'm religious, fight me)._

 _Anyway, hope this will tie you down for the next two weeks and HAVE A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR FOLKS!_


	11. Chapter 11- Confession

**Chapter 11-**

 _A/N- What's this? A new chapter? Please don't kill me!_

Harry's entire body protested painfully as he sat up from his bed the next day. He groaned as he rolled his head, feeling it crack in several places to remove the kinks in it.

"Abraxeau didn't have to smack me that hard," he muttered to himself grumpily.

When Abraxeau said that he had a plan to explain Harry's disappearance, Harry didn't think it would involve the giant lion swatting him around like a cat does to a ball of yarn. One would think that the former founder of Gryffindor House would be more careful with his last surviving descendant, but apparently not.

Groaning again, Harry slowly hopped out of bed and got dressed into his school robes, but jumped when he heard a quiet trill. Harry looked up at the top of his four-poster bed to see Elenara perched on top, giving him an amused look.

"I don't suppose you can cure aching muscles?" asked Harry. When the phoenix did not respond, Harry's shoulder sagged in defeat and he marched down to the common room, making sure to not wake up Ron or the other boys.

It was still early in the morning, but the common room was not empty. Hermione was laying on the couch, a book over her face, and Harry could hear light snoring coming from her. Harry grinned and moved closer to his best friend, then placed his hand on Hermione's shoulder.

"Hermione? It's time to wake up," said Harry.

"Huh? What?" mumbled Hermione, and the book dropped from her face onto the floor, her eyes blinking rapidly.

"You fell asleep," said Harry, his smile widening even more.

"Oh bugger," muttered Hermione and she sat up and picked up her fallen book.

"What were you reading about?" asked Harry, moving to sit beside Hermione instead of crouching on the floor.

"Phoenixes," answered Hermione. "I'm trying to understand why they choose certain witches or wizards to be their familiars."

"Find anything interesting?" said Harry, feeling a little curious now.

"Not much," admitted Hermione. "Phoenixes are really mysterious magical creatures, and no one really knows why they become connected with people. There are loads of theories about it though."

Harry opened his mouth to speak, but at that moment students started trickling down the dormitory stairs to head for breakfast, so Hermione stashed her book away in her bag, which had been resting at her feet and she sprinted back up to her dormitory to get dressed.

Harry decided to wait for his friends to come down before heading to breakfast so that they could go together. Some kids said hello to Harry, which he returned politely but for the most part he just sat on the couch and waited as patiently as he could.

Harry saw a familiar flash of red hair coming down the stairs, and he couldn't stop the stupid grin from springing on his face when Ginny appeared, accompanied by some of her friends. She smiled and waved at him, but remained with her friends and left the common room.

Harry was too busy gawking at Ginny that he didn't see Ron and Hermione approaching.

"Can you stop staring at my sister's backside please?" groaned Ron, and Harry jumped in fright.

"Bloody hell mate!" gasped Harry, placing his hand over his heart dramatically.

"Oh sod off Harry. Now can we please go to breakfast? I'm starving!" said Ron, and he practically pulled Hermione towards the portrait door, leaving a red-faced Harry to stumble after them.

One would think that Harry would be used to the stares he got so often, but alas, he still felt extremely uncomfortable as he sat down at the Gryffindor table for breakfast with so many eyes scrutinizing him. He could only wonder how outrageous the rumour mill was going right now. Luckily for Harry, Ron and Hermione would glare at anyone they caught staring, making the offenders avert their eyes as quickly as they could, and Harry wasn't bothered.

Midway through his plate of food, Harry sensed somebody coming towards him, and he did his best to appear too busy to pay attention to whoever it was. Seconds, then minutes passed, and finally Harry sighed and turned to face his obnoxious stalker...

Only to instantly regret it when he came face to face with Cho Chang.

"Hi Harry!" said Cho brightly.

"Er... hey Cho," said Harry awkwardly, giving Ron and Hermione pleading looks. Both of his best friends only shrugged indifferently, as if to say " _she's all yours."_

"So there's a Hogsmeade weekend coming up," said Cho, apparently completely oblivious to Harry's inner turmoil, "and I was wondering if you wanted to go with me?"

"Go with you?" repeated Harry dumbly.

"Uh huh. So what do you say?" asked Cho hopefully.

Harry had to admit, the girl was nothing if not stubborn. But she really did not get it.

"Listen Cho. You're a really nice girl and all but..." began Harry slowly.

"Oh for Merlin's sake, _he's not bloody interested in you!"_ screamed somebody a little down the table.

Harry whipped his head around so fast that he felt his neck crack, and he saw Ginny glaring at Cho, red-faced and chocolate brown eyes wide and blazing with fury. Her voice was so loud that kids from all over the hall were staring at her like she had lost her mind. From the corner of his eye Harry could see Seamus Finnegan slipping Ron a few sickles, the gangly redhead looking smug.

Ginny too noticed that she had gathered the attention of just about everyone, and her face turned even more red, if that was possible. She stood up then, grabbed her bag and marched out of the Great Hall, ignoring the leering jeers from the Slytherins.

"Damn it," muttered Harry, and he too jumped out of his seat and raced after her, but not before giving the Slytherin table a look that instantly made them shut up.

Ginny wasn't in the entrance hall or anywhere to be seen by the time Harry left the Great Hall, but he sniffed around for her scent to indicate where she had gone, but for some reason he couldn't smell anything, but it probably had to do with the mingling of countless other scents.

Feeling dejected, Harry returned back into the Great Hall.

oOoOoOo

He never had much of an opportunity to speak to Ginny about her outburst, as she seemed to be avoiding him. When he did see her though, she was surrounded by friends her own age, and Harry really didn't want to make things awkward between them.

Because of the sudden distance between them, Harry was feeling really glum, and his bad mood was only worsened when he saw Ginny beginning to hang out with Dean Thomas again. The dark-skinned Gryffindor boy would always give Harry a triumphant look whenever he caught Harry staring longingly in their direction, until one day Harry purposely grew his fangs out, which made Dean look away in fear.

One of of these bad days, Harry and Ron were both desperately trying to finish their Transfiguration essay Professor McGonagall had given them in the common room on their favourite couch, which unfortunately was due the next day. What was worse, Hermione wasn't with them because she was busy studying Harry's ancestors' journal in the library and comparing their deeds to historical Wizarding events.

Harry groaned and leaned back against the couch, while Ron was still leaning over the coffee table as he furiously scribbled down on a piece of parchment. He took off his glasses and cleaned the lenses with his t-shirt before he put them back on, and he felt himself sink into the comfortable couch. Harry wasn't sure if it was the fact that he had numerous felines encoded into his DNA, or if he was just tired, but suddenly the couch felt ten times more comfy than usual. Maybe he should just rest his eyes for a moment...

Until he heard the sound of somebody laughing, a very familiar laugh that had the beast inside squirming uncomfortably. Harry sat up straight like a rod and his head whipped around to the right, and he saw Dean and Ginny sitting together. Dean was saying something animatedly that had Ginny giggling softly, but Harry's sensitive hearing could pick it up from a mile away, and he felt his stomach clench with jealousy.

"Aw, come on," muttered Harry in an annoyed voice, "don't tell me they're dating again."

"Huh? What was that?" said somebody beside Harry, and the raven-haired boy froze in place. He had completely forgotten that Ron, Ginny's _brother,_ was sitting right next to him. "Who are y-" began Ron, then Harry sensed as his gaze followed Harry's and he looked at him in confusion. "Why do you care who my sister dates?"

"I don't. I don't care," said Harry quickly, facing Ron to look at him with what was hopefully an uninterested expression, but inside he was panicking. How the hell could he forget that Ginny's over-protective brother was sitting beside him?"

Ron gave Harry a funny look that he couldn't read, but the lanky redhead only shrugged and grinned to himself. "Whatever you say mate," he mumbled before returning to working on his essay.

Harry really had to resist the urge to punch the smug grin on Ron's face.

oOoOoOo

Harry didn't get the opportunity to speak with Ginny for another week after the close call with Ron, long after October had ended and November was well under way. The snow was falling heavily, creating the thick blanket of white that covered everything outside.

Harry was walking back to Gryffindor Tower when his nose picked up her scent, and he stopped in his tracks.

"What's wrong Harry?" asked Ron, as he and Hermione both stopped once they realised that Harry was no longer walking with them.

"I uh... there's something i have to take care of. I'll see you at lunch?" said Harry quickly. Ron only shrugged indifferently and kept walking, while Hermione gave him a skeptical look but she ended up following her boyfriend. Harry sighed and sniffed around, following the fresh scent away from his original destination.

The familiar flowery and wooden scent of the youngest Weasley ended up leading Harry to the Astronomy Tower, which Harry thought to be odd seeing as there were no Astronomy classes during the middle of the day. He climbed the stairs quietly, wishing he had brought his Invisibility Cloak, and he made sure to be quiet when he spotted Ginny, so that he wouldn't disturb her.

Not for the first time, Harry was struck dumb by just how beautiful Ginny was. The way the sunlight shone through her red hair, highlighting the various streams of red, gold and orange and making it look like fire as it blew gently in the wind. Even from behind her Harry could tell that Ginny's face would be perfectly serene as she looked over the Hogwarts grounds.

"Ginny?" said Harry tentatively, taking a few steps closer.

"Yes Harry?" said Ginny, not even bothering to look behind her shoulder.

"What are you doing up here?" said Harry with a light chuckle as he moved to stand next to her.

"I come here sometimes to think," answered Ginny. "It really is a peaceful place when there's nobody trying to sneak in here for a snog."

"Ah," said Harry.

"What are you doing here?"

"I followed your scent."

"Right, because that's not creepy or anything."

Harry scowled down at Ginny, but it changed into a grin when he saw her smirking at him mischievously. They fell into comfortable silence, merely being content with one another's presence as they watched the students far down below scurrying to their first classes.

"So I take it we're not going to class?" asked Harry.

Ginny shrugged. "I've only got Tonks this morning, she won't mind," she said nonchalantly.

"Right," said Harry quietly before gazing off towards the Scottish hills far away. "Ginny?"

"Yes Harry?" said Ginny, not tearing her gaze away from the view.

"Why did you get so angry when Cho asked me out?"

Harry saw how Ginny's face paled and her whole body stiffened slightly, and he could hear her heartbeat picking up until it was beating rapidly.

"I'm just getting annoyed at how she keeps throwing herself at you even though it's obvious you don't like her that way," she finally said.

"Ginny, you know I can tell when someone's lying, right?"

Ginny seemed to sag in defeat. "I uh... er..." she seemed to be struggling for the right words to say. Finally, she took a breath and said, "You know how I had that really embarrassing crush on you for a few years?"

"Yeah," said Harry, feeling his eyebrows knit together in confusion.

"And Hermione said that I ended up giving up on you because I was sick of waiting around?" she pressed.

"Yeah, but what's this got to do with-"

"Please let me finish Harry," interrupted Ginny, and Harry could see the pleading look in her eyes, so he closed his mouth and nodded.

"Anyway, I gave up on waiting around for you, so I went on dates with other guys, and tried to act normally around you. But that didn't mean that I didn't stop liking you."

Now it was Harry's turn to freeze up. _Wait, what is she saying?_

"I like you Harry, a lot," said Ginny, looking up at him determinedly but at the same time she looked a little scared. "And not just as a friend. I never gave up hope that you would finally notice me. I really, _really_ like you, but I feel so stupid for hoping that you'd feel the same way."

 _She likes me?_ Harry felt his heart flutter excitedly as he processed this information. The beast within him wanted out more than ever now, because it knew that Ginny wanted him as much as he wanted her.

"I know you'll probably never like me the same way, but I had to say it," continued Ginny, unaware that Harry was smiling at her because she had lowered her face to look at the floor.

"Ginny," said Harry, trying to get her to look up at him.

"I hope this doesn't change anything between us or make you really uncomfortable," said Ginny.

"Ginny..."

"I mean, we've only just become actual friends,"

"Gin..."

"I don;t even know why i started hanging out with Dean again, I still think he's a bloody git. Oh gosh, you probably think I'm some sort of scarlet woman now!"

Harry rolled his eyes impatiently, then grabbed Ginny's chin and lifted her face up before crashing his lips against hers. Ginny let out a startled squeal before she realized what was happening, and Harry felt her relax into his arms and kiss him back.

Kissing Ginny Weasley was a million times better than Harry ever imagined. Her lips were amazingly soft, unlike anything he had felt before. It was like the Weasley twins' fireworks were going off all around them, and it seemed as though every animal encoded in Harry's DNA were letting out triumphant roars of victory as his blood sang.

Eventually Harry pulled away from Ginny to catch his breath, both breathing heavily. Ginny looked at Harry with a mixture of wonder, joy and confusion while harry gave her a crooked grin.

"I've been wanting to do that for a while now," muttered Harry huskily.

"You have?" said Ginny incredulously, her eyes widening slightly.

"I've had the biggest crush on you since I came to the Burrow this summer," confessed Harry.

Ginny snorted. "And I've only had the biggest crush on you since I was ten years old," she replied sarcastically.

"Touché," said Harry. "But I thought you didn't like me that way anymore, so I didn't act on my feelings towards you."

"Sounds like we were both acting like ponces," giggled Ginny.

"Can't argue with that," laughed Harry. He then straightened up slightly and took a step back from her slightly.

"Ginny Weasley, would you do me the honour of coming with me to the next Hogsmeade weekend as my date?"

Ginny's eyes sparkled and she nodded her head vigorously. "Of course I will!"

Harry responded by leaning down and kissing her again, this time more softly than before. He felt Ginny smile into the kiss and her hand came up to cup his face.

"Be expecting a lot more of those Miss Weasley," said Harry, pulling away again.

"I'm counting on it, Mr Potter."

oOoOoOo

As much as he wanted to scream to the whole world that Harry was dating Ginny, he couldn't. After spending most of the morning together, laughing and kissing each other senselessly, they both agreed that for now at least, they should keep their relationship a secret. Harry was worried about Voldemort finding out about Ginny through some Death Eater's kid who attended Hogwarts, and Ginny was worried that they would never be left alone because of it.

Not that Ginny minded in all honestly, she was actually keen to get into a duel with Cho when the Ravenclaw girl fond out.

They decided to not tell their closest friends either, and Harry was already beginning to find it difficult to keep his secret hidden from Ron and Hermione, especially Hermione. When Harry and Ginny finally returned from the Astronomy tower for lunch, their bushy-haired friend looked ready to grill into them both for missing classes until she saw how close Harry and Ginny were standing next to each other, and her face changed from annoyance to suspicious.

Harry consciously took a step away from Ginny and let her go sit with her friends while he sat down next to Ron, making sure to avoid Hermione's piercing gaze.

"You were gone an awfully long time Harry," commented Hermione.

"Ginny was upset," was all Harry offered.

"And it took you a few hours to cheer her up?" said Hermione, and when Harry finally looked up, he saw that one of Hermione's eyebrows was raised.

"Er... yeah," said Harry, swallowing thickly.

"Oh lay off him 'Mione. Theyprobably just had a long talk is all," said Ron, finally joining in the conversation.

"Right, and I'm sure the fact that they both look thoroughly disheveled had everything to do with the wind up wherever they were," said Hermione sarcastically.

Harry's eyes widened. "W-what?" he stammered.

"Oh come off it Harry. You've been snogging Ginny all morning!" said Hermione.

Ron choked and spat out his pumpkin juice. " _What?!"_ he spluttered.

"They've been snogging!" said Hermione. "Look at how disheveled he looks!"

"Will you shut it!" hissed Harry.

"You're not denying it," pointed out Hermione smugly. Harry really wanted to hex her right now.

"Alright fine," he growled out instead. "Yes, Ginny and I kissed. And it was bloody brilliant."

"I did not need to hear that," grumbled Ron.

"Oh shut up Ron. I've walked in on you and Hermione enough times as it is," snapped Harry. He smiled triumphantly when Ron's face turned red and he looked away.

"So are you two dating?" asked Hermione excitedly.

"I guess so. We're going to Hogsmeade together," said Harry.

"Oh Harry!" exclaimed Hermione.

"Will you shut it! We don't want anyone to know just yet," said Harry. He didn't add that he was also going to keep his two best friends out of it as well.

"Okay, okay. I'm just so excited is all!" gushed Hermione. "You two have been circling around each other for months now."

"Don't remind me," grumbled Harry. When he looked down the table, he spotted Ginny staring at him with a questioning look. Jon could only shrug and jerk his head towards Ron and Hermione, who had quickly fallen into another argument, as if to say _sorry._

Ginny only rolled her eyes before giving Harry a big smile. Harry winked at her, which funnily enough made Ginny blush spectacularly and look away.

 _Yes. This is going to be interesting,_ thought Harry happily.

"Stop staring at my sister!" hissed Ron angrily, making Harry jump in surprise. He looked back just in time to see Hermione smack Ron upside the head.

"Leave him alone!" she snapped.

"He's gawking at Ginny like-" started Ron.

"Like you gawk at hermione when you think no one's looking?" said Harry innocently.

Ron only scowled at his best friend, while Hermione was blushing furiously.

oOoOoOo

Because he had a spare period owing to the fact that he dropped out of Divination, Harry spent his afternoon exploring the Hogwarts grounds in his various animal forms. He spent most of the time as his smaller animal forms, though every now and again he would transform into either his tiger or direwolf form, as they were the two animals he was most comfortable being.

That being said, Harry was becoming exceptionally fond of the latest animal he had learned to transform into; a small but stocky and heavily muscled wolverine. Despite its small size, Harry could feel how powerful it was, and at times he had to rein in his instinctual aggressive behaviour on more than one occasion when he came near other students. Small but aggressive, Harry was sure that the wolverine would come in handy one day.

He was flying around Gryffindor Tower in his golden eagle form when Harry's extremely acute vision spotted a flash of brilliant red, a stark contrast against the white of the fallen snow, near the Forbidden Forest before it vanished. So Harry glided on the warm air currents till he was directly below where he had spotted the red colour, and tucking in his wings, Harry plummeted into a vertical dive.

As he fell closer and closer to the earth, Harry realised that the flash of red he saw was actually Ginny's hair, and she was currently in her Care of Magical Creatures class. Harry spread open his wings and perched himself on top of a tree branch at the edge of a clearing, and watched intently as Hagrid led a few unicorn colts into the small clearing.

Harry cocked his head to the side in interest, remembering how last year Professor Grubbly-Plank had taught Harry's class back in his fourth year. Ginny seemed particularly excited, and Harry remembered that she had a love of animals almost as fierce as Hagrid. Harry idly wondered if ginny was interested in becoming a dragon handler like her older brother Charlie.

Harry stretched his wings and flew off his branch over to another tree so that he could get a better look at the unicorns, as well as see Ginny better. His path required his to fly directly over the clearing, and one of the fifth-years pointed out loudly towards the green-eyed golden eagle. When the others looked up at the tree Harry had perched on, he could see the instant look of recognition Ginny had on her face, and she smiled up at him. Hagrid too seemed to realise who the eagle was, because he waved down for him to come closer.

Harry gently glided down and landed on Hagrid's outstretched arm, being careful not to sink his huge fangs into the jolly half-giant's meaty arm. But despite being one of the largest flying birds in the world, Hagrid dwarfed him easily and seemed to not display any discomfort towards him.

"Do you know this bird?" asked a curious Hufflepuff.

"Yeh, this here is-" began Hagrid, but Harry let out a loud squawk and beat his wings furiously to drown out his voice. Hagrid seemed to get the hint, because he finished with, "er Brownie. He lives 'round here."

 _Brownie? Seriously?_ thought Harry incredulously. He saw Ginny giving him a smug smile, and the eagle let out another indignant squawk because his now-girlfriend would never let that nickname down.

Harry flew off of Hagrid's arm and landed on a post that Ginny was standing next to, and she ran her fingers through his brown coat of feathers in a soothing manner. They both got odd looks from the other students, but they ignored them.

When class finished, Harry waited until everyone was well and truly gone before transforming.

"Really Hagrid? Brownie?" spluttered Harry exasperatedly.

"It was all I could think of!" said Hagrid.

"You realise that that nickname is going to stick?" said Harry.

"I like it," commented Ginny offhandedly.

"Of course _you_ do. You like anything that'll embarrass me," snapped Harry.

"Oi. Just be grateful that I haven't started calling you Tigger," warned Ginny, and Harry swallowed thickly.

 _Oh yes, very interesting._


End file.
